Free Lian/Roch (Bayou Heat) by Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright Page B

the head of the Suits, and father to the first baby born to the Pantera in the past fifty years.
    “I heard your female was a beauty, but I didn’t realize she carried the gift of our ancestors.”
    Lian sent his friend a startled glance.
    He’d been careful not to share his belief that Sage was a potential Shaman, although he was certain his family already suspected the truth.
    But it was a shock that his companion had noticed from a mere glance across a meadow.
    Either Raphael was a mind reader, or Sage’s powers were growing now that she was in the Wildlands.
    He was betting on Sage’s magic becoming more pronounced.
    “I suspected, but I couldn’t be certain,” he confessed.
    The golden gaze narrowed. “Does she know?”
    “She accepts that she has powers that she doesn’t fully understand,” he said, forcing himself not to follow as she disappeared from view.
    Dammit. He’d promised he’d give her the space she needed to finish her work.
    Raphael moved so he was standing directly in front of Lian, his smile wry as if he understood how difficult it was for the younger male to concentrate on anything but his mate.
    “So why don’t you explain it to her?”
    Lian grimaced, reaching into the pocket of his jeans for the narrow leather string. He’d left his hair down because he knew that Sage enjoyed running her fingers through the long strands.
    And he’d do anything to please her.
    Now he wanted it out of his way.
    “In the past few days I’ve stolen Sage from her home, placed the fate of our people on her shoulders and discovered that she’s my mate. That doesn’t even include being mauled by my family.” He gave a short, humorless laugh, tying off the braid. “I think we can wait a few days to dump more surprises on her.”
    Raphael nodded, one of the few who understood. His own mate, Ashe, had gone through her own shocking transformation.
    “She’s stronger than you think,” he assured Lian.
    “I don’t want her to have to be strong.”
    “Anyone who has to deal with you and your family will need a spine of steel.”
    Lian’s lips twitched. “I suppose that’s true enough,” he said. He suspected that Sage was already bonding with his family, but she would have to develop well-defined boundaries if she didn’t want them running her life. “Tell me what’s going on.”
    Raphael’s face hardened to a grim mask. “Mercier and Rosalie are missing.”
    “Fuck,” Lian snarled, his gut clenching with a combination of fear and fury. As Hunters they understood that their duty was to put themselves in danger when necessary. But that knowledge didn’t stop Lian from feeling a savage stab of guilt at their disappearance. “When was the last time you heard from them?”
    “Yesterday morning,” Raphael said. “They checked in from Dallas.”
    “And?”
    “They said they were at the safe house and intended to return to the Wildlands last night.” Raphael’s eyes glowed with the power of his cat. “They never showed.”
    “You think our enemy has them?” he asked, even knowing the question was ridiculous.
    Mercier and Rosalie would have contacted Parish if they were going to be late.
    No way in hell they would just have dropped out of contact.
    “What other explanation—” Raphael’s words broke off on a low growl, his claws piercing his skin as a foul odor filled the meadow. “Do you smell that?”
    The stench was impossible to miss.
    It warned their enemies were near.
    “Intruders?” he muttered, his gaze searching the shadows between the trees.
    “No. Shakpi.” Raphael sent him a warning frown.
    Your Shaman just ran out of time.”
    God. Damn.
    Could they just once get a break?
    Lian shook his head, frustration a toxic knot in the pit of his stomach.
    “The translations aren’t done.”
    Raphael flexed his claws. “I’ll try to slow her down, but we need a miracle to stop her from escaping.”
    There was a burst of mist and sparkling colors as Raphael shifted into a