I looked in my mirrors frequently as I drove through the dark night, the lights of the airport guiding me off the freeway. No one would possibly know to follow me as I made my way outside the city to the airport, but I still felt anxious. Dr. Pannar had taken me in, and I considered Natham a friend even if I was a bit leery of his mate. Yet I didn't tell either of them where I was going either.
My brother deserved the benefit of the doubt I hadn't been given. A lifetime of being my other half meant that even though we'd been apart for a few years other than short visits here and there, I trusted him. I trusted him to know what was right and wrong and to never fall on the wrong side of that line. The law might or might not agree with that, but I wouldn't just hand him over without talking to him first.
"Little brother! Where are you at?"
I had my cell phone tucked to my ear with my shoulder as I paid for my parking. It had started to ring just as I finished and began walking into the busy airport. I grimaced at Isiah's greeting. "Cute. I'm just getting in from the parking garage, where are you?"
"We're just getting past the security area. Meet us down in baggage claim?"
I veered right of the escalators instead of heading upstairs. "Okay. See you in a few minutes."
I located their baggage carousel and stood around waiting. My mind instantly sank into the memory of the meeting in Velaku's office. The dingy warehouse, the Carthera next to my brother, and the dead man at their feet. What had Isiah gotten caught up in? What was he doing?
The arm wrapping around my shoulder startled me. "Hey little brother! Miss me?"
"Damn it Isiah, why do you always have to do that?" I growled.
He laughed and pulled me into his arms for a hug. I squeezed him back, pulling in his scent. A growl came from behind me, making me pull out of Isiah's arms and turn slowly.
I knew that sound.
I blinked and froze in shock.
"You're a tiger."
The Carthera in front of me was different from what I expected from Velaku and Natham's story. Natham was a lynx, but he'd been adopted. I'd just assumed that the brother had been the natural son of the bastard that adopted Natham.
I couldn't be more wrong.
Isiah moved around me and stood beside the tiger. My brother and I weren't especially small men, but the Carthera dwarfed us. He was thick but not fat; and the parts of his body I could see were corded with muscle. He should look weird with the almost orange cast to his skin but the black stripes I could see peeking from his shirt like a tattoo and striping his arms kept him from looking like an at home tanning disaster.
Even more intimidating was the leashed potential I could sense in him. Without my really noticing it, my tongue flicked out and then back in my mouth. The tiger wasn't nearly as relaxed as he looked. There was a bitter taste in my mouth, and it increased the anxiety I had been feeling since I got Isiah's call.
"Ellis, I want you to meet Ahsran. He's my mate."
"It's nice to meet you finally." Ahsran held out his hand for me to shake.
I was lost for words. I stood there staring, my gaze going from Isiah to Ahsran. Ahsran's hand slowly lowered back to his side. I looked at my brother, but I couldn't see any sign of any change in him until he frowned and opened his mouth again.
"Ellis?"
"You have fangs." I bit my lip nervously and took a step back, locking my gaze on Ahsran and watching him. They weren't retractable fangs like Davis had but four short thick sharp ones that bracketed his front teeth. They altered the shape of his face a little, making it wider than a human's. My brother mated a Carthera too? It wasn't unheard of, but very unusual for Carthera to have human mates. Both of us mating? What did that mean?
Isiah cleared his throat, pulling my eyes from Ahsran. He was frowning. "I thought you'd be more accepting, little brother," he said sadly, "after all, you work with Carthera." He'd grabbed Ahsran's hand, their fingers laced together firmly.
That so wasn't the problem, but how was I going to explain that to him? I looked at the people standing around us and shook my head. This was not the place.
"I'm sorry," I said in a quiet voice, "it's not that. We need to talk but not here."
Isiah frowned, but his head jerked in a nod.
"I'll go get my car while you guys get your luggage. I'll meet you outside the doors down to the left, okay?"
Ahsran was already turning and watching the bags that were beginning to make their first round as they were unloaded from the plane.
"Fine," Isiah said. His tone was short and clipped. I knew he was unhappy with me.
"I promise I'll explain, okay? Just. . .trust me."
It was ironic really I was asking my brother for trust and had to wonder if I would get it when I was risking so much for him. He didn't know that, though, and I'd made a horrible first impression on his mate.
I popped the trunk, and then waited while they got in the car. Ahsran got in the backseat, and Isiah slid in with him. I'd expected him to take the front seat like always, and the change jarred me. I bit my lip, but said nothing as I pulled away from the curb. We'd entered the city before anything was said.
"Where are we going? This isn't the way to your apartment."
"I moved into an apartment over by Matthew's place," I said.
Isiah leaned forward and glanced at the street sign as we passed under another light. "This isn't the way to Matthew's apartment either." His arms crossed. "Damn it, Ellis, what in the hell is going on? Where are you taking us?"
I sighed, resisting the urge to rub the bridge of my nose while I drove. I was shaking so bad I needed both hands on the wheel to make sure I didn't swerve. "I don't really want to talk about this while I'm driving."
"If you don't tell me where we're going I'm going to make you pull over right now Ellis. I'm not joking." The flat, cold tone of his voice was one he'd never used with me before, one I didn't really think my brother could ever make actually. I heard it on the video, but never myself.
It was the voice of a killer.
