When Aliyah pulled away, her eyes glittered with tears.

“You still have the most beautiful eyes,” Kaya said solemnly.

Aliyah reached for Kaya’s hands and squeezed. “Can we sit on the couch? There’s so much I need to tell you and questions I want to ask.” She looked to Jericho and Hunter as if seeking their permission.

Kaya also looked at her two mates. “I will be fine.”

Reluctantly, Hunter nodded, but they both stayed close as Aliyah led Kaya over to the sofa.

“Why do you think we left you?” Aliyah asked when both women had found comfortable positions.

“I went back,” Kaya said. “When I was able, I made my way back home. The house was empty. I waited and waited, but no one ever came.”

Aliyah’s eyes filled with tears. “This will destroy Mama and Papa.”

Kaya cocked her head to the side. “I don’t remember them. Are they like us? I always thought my family was human except for you.”

Aliyah shook her head. “No, they are like us. Mama is a great eagle and Papa is a Kodiak bear. When we lost you, they were devastated. They were afraid the same would happen to me, so we moved to Africa until I grew older and more restrained. You must have returned to Alaska while we were there.”

“They wanted me?” Kaya asked in a small voice.

“Oh, Kaya, they’ve mourned you since the day you went missing. Not a day has gone by that we haven’t thought of you. They’re going to be so thrilled when I tell them that I’ve found you. You can’t imagine what this is going to mean to them.”

Again her gaze fell to Kaya’s stomach. “Is your child going to be like us?” she asked softly.

Kaya smiled and started to reply, but Hunter stepped forward, his expression fierce. Kaya’s mouth snapped shut. Hunter didn’t want her to trust Duncan and Aliyah, especially when it came to their daughter’s safety. He was right. She should exercise the same care she always had when it came to other people.

Aliyah sighed, and then her gaze found Duncan’s. Whatever it was he saw in his wife’s eyes, he didn’t like it.

“Oh no, Aliyah. Hell, no. Don’t you dare.”

She ignored him, rising as she started to pull at her clothes. Duncan descended on his wife, hiding her from the others’ view as her clothes fell away.

Kaya watched in fascination as Aliyah dropped to the floor, her body contorting. She couldn’t remember seeing another person shift before, and now she realized how she must look to Hunter and Jericho. No wonder they watched her in such agony.

Duncan whirled around, his gun drawn, his eyes cold as ice. “Make one move toward her and it’ll be your last.”

A cheetah arose where Aliyah had fallen. The cat padded over to Kaya and rubbed against her leg. Her childhood playmate. Kaya dropped to the floor on her knees and threw her arms around the cheetah’s neck. Her purrs filled the room, and she licked Kaya’s cheek.

Kaya buried her face in the cheetah’s fur and held on as tears slid down her cheeks.

The men weren’t unmoved by the sight. Duncan slowly put away his pistol and Jericho and Hunter both moved forward, their faces softening as Kaya wept.

The cheetah waited patiently as Kaya clung to her sleek body. When her sobs quieted to silent hiccups, the cheetah retreated and went back to the shelter of Duncan’s body. Shielding her from the others, Duncan waited as she shifted back to human form, and then he hastily helped her into her clothing.

Aliyah returned to the couch and held out her arms to Kaya. The two women embraced, both crying noisily while the men looked on in discomfort.

“How did she know?” Hunter asked Duncan as they watched over their women.

“She scented Kaya on me and freaked. Demanded I bring her up here immediately.” His expression grew serious. “Her folks are good people, Hunter. They didn’t willingly abandon Kaya. They thought they’d lost one child, and they didn’t want to lose another.”

Hunter just nodded as he and Jericho continued to watch over Kaya.

Aliyah pulled away and smoothed Kaya’s hair from her face. “It’s funny. You’re the older sister, but I’ve always felt as though you were the younger. Even when we were children. I guess I didn’t look out for you well enough, though,” she said sadly. “How did you survive, Kaya? Where did you go?”

“It’s not your fault,” Kaya said in a low voice. “I haven’t lived much in the human world. I spent most of my time in cougar form. Until I met Hunter and Jericho, I rarely shifted to human.”

Aliyah stole a glance at the two men hovering so closely to Kaya. “Are they good to you, Kaya? Did one of them father your child?”

Kaya almost smiled at her sister’s surly tone. “They are very good to me, and they are both the father of my daughter.”

Aliyah gasped softly. “Daughter?”

Kaya nodded. “She will be a great silver wolf.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Aliyah said as her eyes teared up all over again. “Mama and Papa are going to be so happy.”

“How is it that you’re all so different?” Jericho asked in a bewildered tone. “Your mother is an eagle, your father a bear. It doesn’t make sense.”

Duncan grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. “Why don’t we step outside and let the girls do some catching up and I’ll tell you all about the family you’re taking on.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Kaya was still awake as dawn crept over the sky. She sat on the porch steps watching as the earth came to life around her. Birds sang, and the rustling of smaller animals in the undergrowth could be heard as they set about their day.

The air was still chil

led enough that she could see her breath escaping in a small cloud, and she wrapped the blanket tighter around her.

A family. She had a family. And they hadn’t abandoned her. It was hard for her to change her way of thinking after believing for so long that they hadn’t wanted her.

She couldn’t remember her mother and father, try as she might. Had she blocked them out on purpose? She could clearly remember Aliyah, but could not conjure images of the people who had given her life.

The door opened behind her, and Jericho stepped outside. He eased awkwardly down onto the steps beside her and handed her a cup of hot chocolate. She smiled as she took it. One of the things she’d developed an intense craving for was sweets, and the hot, sweet drink was one of her favorites.

“You shouldn’t be out here, honey.”

She looked in concern at the lines on his face. “Neither should you.”

“I was worried about you,” he said quietly. “How are you handling everything?”

She sipped the chocolate and stared out over the rugged terrain. “I don’t know,” she said truthfully. “It’s all a little hard to comprehend.”

“We’ll take you to Alaska if that’s what you want.”

She immediately shook her head. “No. I don’t want to leave here.” She turned back to look at him again. “I know it sounds silly, but I feel safe here, and I don’t want to go back to the place I found empty so many years ago. It holds too many unhappy memories.”

Jericho touched her cheek and then leaned in to kiss her forehead. “Then we’ll stay here. Your folks can come visit you whenever they like.”

“I don’t remember them,” she said sadly. “Do you think it will make them angry?”

Jericho slipped his arm around her and hugged her close. “No, honey. They’re going to be so happy to see you. They’ll understand. You’ve been alone for such a long time. No one will expect you to remember.”

His hand slipped underneath the blanket and molded to her belly. “How is our little one this morning? Is she kicking yet?”

Kaya smiled and set aside her cup. She placed her hands over Jericho’s and moved it upward until it was in just the right spot. “Feel here.”

A tiny little bump, barely more than a muscle twitch, pittered and pattered against his palm. His entire expression transformed to one of intense awe.

“That’s her,” he whispered.

She leaned forward and brushed her lips across his. “She’s glad to see you.”

When she pulled away, Jericho leaned down and kissed the spot where the baby had been kicking.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” he murmured against Kaya’s belly.

Kaya tangled her hands in his hair, holding his head as he nestled it against her belly. The future was a very uncertain thing indeed, but she held to the one thing she knew. Jericho and Hunter would be with her. They would take care of her and their daughter. She’d never be alone again.

A sound made her look up, and she saw Hunter standing there, holding a cup of coffee as he stared down at her and Jericho.

Wordlessly, she held up her hand, an invitation for him to join them. Hunter set his coffee on the railing and settled on the other side of Kaya, his arm going around her. She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes as she held Jericho’s head in her lap.

“I love you both so much,” she murmured. “I think I loved you from the first moment I saw you.”

Hunter kissed her forehead and stroked her hair. “I love you too. More than I imagined ever loving another person. It scares me sometimes.”

She smiled and nestled closer as she ran her fingers through Jericho’s hair.

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