Free Driving Force by Jo Andrews Page B

Doc!”
    “Someone’s gotta make sure you do what you’re told. Oh, regarding food. Only liquids ’til the fever’s over. Broth, eggs beaten into milk, that kind of thing.”
    “Ick!” muttered Ian.
    “You know you can’t handle anything else right now. Shifters!” sighed Doc. “Always have to be difficult. He’ll be ravenous once the fever’s run its course, Sierra, so prepare yourself for being eaten out of house and home then.”
    “That’s okay.”
    “No,” said Ian sharply. “My wallet in that suitcase, Doc?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Take whatever you need from there, Sierra.”
    “It’s not necessary…”
    “I’m causing you enough trouble as it is. Not gonna have you pay for my food as well.”
    “But…”
    “Owe you, Mouse.” He looked back at Doc. “Arrhan. What’s happening? I’ve got to know,” he said urgently when Doc hesitated.
    “I’ll leave,” Sierra offered.
    “Don’t bother. Secret’s out.” He glanced at Doc. “Just don’t use names.”
    “Okay. Arrhan targeted all the non-lions. Attacked the males, set fire to the houses of the females. At least, we think he’s responsible,” said Doc, sitting down in the chair beside the bed. “No sign of arson, but what else could it be with all their homes going up in flames on the same day? There’s been one death so far, one of the cheetah males. The others are like you, pretty banged up.”
    “Damn him to hell!”
    Ian was snarling, his fangs out though the rest of him hadn’t shifted. That looked really scary. And sexy at the same time, thought Sierra involuntarily, then was appalled at her own reaction.
    “The women with cubs have taken them and left the state this morning,” Doc was saying. “Abandoned their jobs or decided to take whatever leave they have. They say better safe than sorry and they’re not gonna get caught up in a war with some lunatic. We’ve talked the older people like the Ki…snow leps into going too. The Lo…the lions are funding everyone until this nut’s gone and they can all come back. Getting the non-lions out seems to be what this Arrhan was after. Kill the males, run off the females.”
    “He wants this to be only pride country.” Ian nodded.
    “The cheetah gals without cubs have stayed. So have the two cougar females. All of them are now holed up with the lions and they’re in a killing mood. Abe…uh, the male cougar’s madder’n a hornet. He and N…uh, the tiger have joined up together and are hunting Arrhan. Carrying some serious firepower. They want his skin for a rug.”
    “With them on that,” muttered Ian.
    “The lions are taking it personally. They’re out looking for him and there isn’t one of them won’t gut him the minute they see him.”
    “Any full-humans targeted?”
    “No, thank God. But who knows how long that’ll last.”
    “What I can’t figure is how he’s doing it. Someone should have picked up his scent by now. And how’d he set up those attacks?”
    “That’s the question.” Doc clasped his hands in front of his chin and tapped his lips thoughtfully with his two index fingers. “What exactly happened with you, Ian?”
    “I’m not sure. One minute I was running along, the next something blew up in my face. Not explosives. There wasn’t any smell of chemical combustion, just this weird flare of green light. I was blinded and dazed. Then he hit me. I should have smelled him coming, but there was no scent. He’s found some way of covering that up.”
    “The others said they couldn’t scent him either.”
    “I don’t think he planned on my being knocked into the river. I think he wanted to kill me outright.”
    “He killed one of the cheetah males and would have killed the boy’s brother if some of Kurt’s people hadn’t seen the flash and come running up in time. Abe…uh, the male cougar had his Glock 22 with him and got off three shots, which is probably what kept him from being hurt worse than a clawed thigh. He hit Arrhan dead on,