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Chapter Twenty-Six
Niko’s hybrid formlooked like no other wolf in existence. as far as Zee knew and it was likely because of Galina, his mother, a Therian cat who had shifted into an oversized Eurasian Lynx, save for the coloring.
According to rumor, Galina had appeared to be nearly all black.
Jameson’s wolf form had been a deep, steely gray.
Niko’s hybrid form was a melding of the two, with hints that spoke of the unique nature that had been his mother’s.
Galina’s father, Rufus, had come from a long line of Eurasian lynx Therians with the occasional human mixed in.
But her mother, Galina, a Russian scientist, hadn’t had such a simple genetic line. There were no hard or fast answers as her mother had ended up an orphan at the age of fourteen. Niko had told Zee stories he’d heard Galina, stories Galina remembered only vaguely, stories of arctic wolves, prowling cats, and a long-dead Therian tiger in their family line. A Siberian tiger.
If there had been a tiger in the mix, it would explain the deep black stripes that painted his already rich gray pelt, giving his unusual appearance an even more exotic slant.
But those stripes were nothing compared to his face. An oddly compelling meld of cat and wolf, all but devoid of fur around his mouth, nose and eyes, the nightmarish maw so commonly seen in a Therian’s hybrid form was missing. Whiskers framed a mouth that might have almost seemed human, save for the oversized teeth.
Shaggy fur framed his face in an almost leonine mane and large, tufted ears twitched as he looked around.
Still, there was clearly Therian wolf blood in his bulkier body. Therian cats tended to be built along leaner lines, even those who could take on a hybrid form like Niko’s.
If one was unable to see the lupine influence, the way he threw back his head to answer the call of a packmate, it was clear in the melodic song that rang in the air.
He might be able to snarl and hiss in a fashion akin to the big cats, but that didn’t detract from the wolf’s song.
Zee felt her own rising in her throat, brought closer to the surface by rage and fear and panic.
Niko’s nostrils flared and his amber eyes landed on Shale and the other wolf who knelt by him, busily trying to staunch the flow of blood. Etan was a trained emergency tech, able to give the needed care while allowing time for a healer or physician to arrive.
But Etan wasn’t a miracle worker and Shale was in bad shape.
In the span of two strides, Niko shifted to human, comfortable in his nudity as he crossed to kneel by the other man.
“What happened?” he asked, his voice barely sounding human.
Both of her brothers glanced at her.
Zee shivered, anger and fear moving closer to the surface, the wildness within warring to take over once again.
“We were walking. I was on edge.” She had to wonder now if it was this she’d been sensing all night. If that was the case, then she was the reason Shale had been shot. She was the reason Shale lay bleeding so badly—
A big warm hand cupped her chin and forced her gaze upward, away from the bleeding wolf Etan still tended to.
“Look at me,” Niko growled.
“Back off,” Saint said, approaching from the other side.
Niko didn’t look at him.
Zee almost said something, knowing Saint was stupid enough—brave enough—to pick a fight he couldn’t win. Over her.
But then Niko cut her legs out under her.
“This isn’t your fault,” he said in a firm voice that brooked no argument. He brought his other hand up, cupping her face in both hands now. “I know that look in your eyes, Zee. I don’t want to see it again. This isn’t your fault. Do you understand me?”
He gave her a hard, rough kiss. “I have to help my lieutenant so don’t split my focus by making me worry about you, too.”
Mouth still buzzing, she stared at his back while Saint stared at her, a bemused expression on his face.
