according to the doctor, the wounds were only a few hours old. Jessie didn’t trust him, and she didn’t trust herself not to fall under his smooth, enticing spell.
Marigold warned that the boys had hypnotic eyes. Jessie had fallen victim to their mesmerizing quality too many times not to believe that part of the strange tale, so she looked away. “I did not make it out. Your cousin found me and introduced me to a set of mountain lion cubs. Logic suggests you were complicit. You lured me out there, then left me alone and clueless. You are just as responsible for what happened to me as your cousin, so don’t insult my intelligence with this line of crap you’re dishing out.”
“What happened with Ice, Jessie?” Derek implored.
With angry eyes, she turned to face him. “You should be proud of yourself. I fell right into your trap and nursed the cubs.”
Derek’s one good eye filled with sympathy. “I’m sorry. I failed to protect you, but I did not abandon you.”
“Protect me!” Jessie spat in reply. “You walked me right into the lion’s den, but don’t worry, I talked to your grandmother. I know everything. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to fix this train wreck.”
Derek’s voice grew strong with concern. “Jessie, wait! You can’t trust her. She orchestrated all of this. She’s dying, and we’re the last. Don’t look for the cubs or it will start again. They’ll cry, and you won’t be able to stop yourself.”
Jessie turned back towards Derek. The man looked utterly panic stricken. For about a half a second, his alarming words filled her with trepidation, but lying was a Foster family specialty.
There was one thing she believed. Jessie hadn’t been able to stop herself from going to the cubs when they cried. Underneath the disbelief and horror, she felt the overwhelming urge to feed them. Despite the ardor of Ice’s distracting kisses, she needed to care for them.
If the cousins were at odds, so much the better. It would be easier to take them down one at a time. As a united front, it would be damned near impossible. The fight between Ice and Derek was the first indication that the cousins were no longer working together.
Jessie’s hand began to throb. She looked at the wound his grandmother etched into her skin and remembered the look of steel in her eyes. Their species was on the verge of collapse, but there was no way she was going to become a foster mom to those cute little cubs.
“Jessie, you’ve been hoodwinked. Come closer. I can show you the truth.” Derek tried to reach out, but he didn’t have the strength.
Suspicious, but curious, she had to ask. “What do you mean?”
Falling limply back into the bed, he closed his one good eye and sighed with relief. “You have to remove the veil. You have to see the truth for yourself.”
The veil of lies , Jessie thought. Careful to avoid making eye contact, she moved closer. “Fine. Remove it!”
Through his bruised and swollen lips, Derek smiled. “I can’t, but you’re a strong woman. You have already seen through some of it. Your fear is holding you back. Once you face it, you’ll understand everything. All you have to do is trust yourself.”
That was something Jessie hadn’t done in a while. If she trusted what she thought was true, then most of what seemed true, wasn’t. The same favorite knit shirt she wore the night before, suddenly reeked of the oaky-herb scent of the fire.
Jessie’s eyes grew wide with shock.
Lumps of mud flaked off her hiking boots when she ripped the garment from her body and stomped on it.
If this was the truth, then Derek was right, she had known it all along.
The pain searing through her breasts gave her pause, but she had to see for herself. After taking a deep breath, she lifted her tank top. The girls had seen better days. The starving cubs had not been kind. Jessie gasped at the sight of her battered breasts and lowered her top back down.
Derek’s gaze met hers and his
Marigold warned that the boys had hypnotic eyes. Jessie had fallen victim to their mesmerizing quality too many times not to believe that part of the strange tale, so she looked away. “I did not make it out. Your cousin found me and introduced me to a set of mountain lion cubs. Logic suggests you were complicit. You lured me out there, then left me alone and clueless. You are just as responsible for what happened to me as your cousin, so don’t insult my intelligence with this line of crap you’re dishing out.”
“What happened with Ice, Jessie?” Derek implored.
With angry eyes, she turned to face him. “You should be proud of yourself. I fell right into your trap and nursed the cubs.”
Derek’s one good eye filled with sympathy. “I’m sorry. I failed to protect you, but I did not abandon you.”
“Protect me!” Jessie spat in reply. “You walked me right into the lion’s den, but don’t worry, I talked to your grandmother. I know everything. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to fix this train wreck.”
Derek’s voice grew strong with concern. “Jessie, wait! You can’t trust her. She orchestrated all of this. She’s dying, and we’re the last. Don’t look for the cubs or it will start again. They’ll cry, and you won’t be able to stop yourself.”
Jessie turned back towards Derek. The man looked utterly panic stricken. For about a half a second, his alarming words filled her with trepidation, but lying was a Foster family specialty.
There was one thing she believed. Jessie hadn’t been able to stop herself from going to the cubs when they cried. Underneath the disbelief and horror, she felt the overwhelming urge to feed them. Despite the ardor of Ice’s distracting kisses, she needed to care for them.
If the cousins were at odds, so much the better. It would be easier to take them down one at a time. As a united front, it would be damned near impossible. The fight between Ice and Derek was the first indication that the cousins were no longer working together.
Jessie’s hand began to throb. She looked at the wound his grandmother etched into her skin and remembered the look of steel in her eyes. Their species was on the verge of collapse, but there was no way she was going to become a foster mom to those cute little cubs.
“Jessie, you’ve been hoodwinked. Come closer. I can show you the truth.” Derek tried to reach out, but he didn’t have the strength.
Suspicious, but curious, she had to ask. “What do you mean?”
Falling limply back into the bed, he closed his one good eye and sighed with relief. “You have to remove the veil. You have to see the truth for yourself.”
The veil of lies , Jessie thought. Careful to avoid making eye contact, she moved closer. “Fine. Remove it!”
Through his bruised and swollen lips, Derek smiled. “I can’t, but you’re a strong woman. You have already seen through some of it. Your fear is holding you back. Once you face it, you’ll understand everything. All you have to do is trust yourself.”
That was something Jessie hadn’t done in a while. If she trusted what she thought was true, then most of what seemed true, wasn’t. The same favorite knit shirt she wore the night before, suddenly reeked of the oaky-herb scent of the fire.
Jessie’s eyes grew wide with shock.
Lumps of mud flaked off her hiking boots when she ripped the garment from her body and stomped on it.
If this was the truth, then Derek was right, she had known it all along.
The pain searing through her breasts gave her pause, but she had to see for herself. After taking a deep breath, she lifted her tank top. The girls had seen better days. The starving cubs had not been kind. Jessie gasped at the sight of her battered breasts and lowered her top back down.
Derek’s gaze met hers and his
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