Scent of Salvation

Chapter Four

Before Susan could explain anything about dimensions and gateways, the door to Kele’s chamber crashed open, and Susan jumped to the balls of her feet, prepared—to what, fight? Was she nuts?

A female blocked the entrance, her muscular physique hinting at enough strength to twist Susan into a pretzel without breaking a sweat. The newcomer flung her black hair over her shoulder.

Rising with grace, Kele straightened her dress before addressing the intruder. “Mother.”

“Daughter, I heard you’ve brought home a stray along with the Apisi alpha.” The female’s stare drilled into Susan, her sneer far from welcoming.

Susan’s breath caught in her throat. Black, soulless eyes ate her gaze. Her fingers clutched the lapels of her jacket as she pulled it closed. She wiped her sweaty palms on her pants and offered her hand. “I’m Dr. Susan Barlow.”

The female shifter narrowed her eyes, nostrils flaring.

Susan withdrew her untouched hand, then hid it behind her back and glanced at Kele. Maybe she should have sniffed her mother instead? She wished someone would give her the Dummies Guide to Shifter Society and a little time to study it.

Kele’s mother crossed the room in two great strides and swung her arm.

Susan did her best impression of a statue. She didn’t budge as the impact of the slap swerved her head to the side and dragged her gaze from mother to daughter. Both of them were flushed with emotion yet at opposite poles of the color spectrum—one dark as an oncoming storm and the other pale as the moonlight.

The back of Susan’s heel caught the edge of the cushion and she landed hard on her back.

The bitter flavor of blood swept over her taste buds. “What the hell?” She rubbed her jaw and glared daggers at the crazy woman looming over her. Just as quickly, she schooled her expression to something less threatening before she insulted the bigger shifter further. With the tip of her tongue, Susan explored her mouth. She didn’t encounter any big gaps, so no lost tooth. A small blessing.

Kele’s crazy mother hovered over Susan’s face and bared her teeth. In beast form, her expression would have appeared fierce, but in human form it seemed terrifying. With an easy grace, she flipped Susan onto her stomach. A bony knee pressed between her shoulder blades, making her kiss the floor. Pain shot across Susan’s upper back and neck.

“How dare you come into my den and not submit to me.”

“She’s not a shifter!” Kele shouted. “You can’t expect her to know how to be polite.”

Something ran over Susan’s hair, and the sound of sniffing followed. She tried to take a deep breath but the weight on her back made it difficult.

The nutjob exhaled in disgust. “What is she?”

“A human.” Kele peered at Susan’s throbbing face as she stroked her hair. “Please, I wanted to teach her how to behave before meeting you and father.”

“Your father.” The bitch snorted. “It’s bad enough he’s entertaining a vampire and dealing with trespassing alphas. We don’t need any more vermin within the den.”

Susan was jerked from the ground by her hair and dragged across the floor. Pain shot into her scalp while she scrambled to support her weight with her legs. “Let go. Let go.” The shifter world was more brutal than anything she’d ever experienced. Susan slapped at the crazy woman’s hands tangled in her hair.

“My daughter took too many liberties in offering you shelter. You’ll need to find another den to take you in.”

At a loss, Susan yanked and squirmed but only made the pain worse. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kele leap.

The petite blonde used her wiry strength to jump across the room and land on her mother’s back. The collision knocked them both to the ground in a knot of arms and legs.

Untangling her limbs from the struggling shifters, Susan could finally elbow the bitch in the face. The impact made a satisfying crunch. She pulled back her arm for a second shot, but Kele grabbed her and half carried, half dragged her out of the chamber.

“Hurry, we need to reach my father before she beats you into cinders.”

Not needing any further incentive, Susan ran after her new friend. “Your people are crazy.”

They tore across the rope bridge, Susan ignoring the height this time. What chased her would do far more damage than falling. Kele’s mother howled profanities, and they echoed inside the volcano’s interior.

Susan cringed and glanced back. It wasn’t a matter of if Kele’s mother caught them, but more of when—then she’d have to kiss her ass goodbye.

The dark-headed, crazy female crashed out of the chamber, splintering the wooden door in her enthusiasm, and took chase in her human-appearing form.

Jumping down the stairs two at a time, Susan made it to the ground floor without breaking her neck. It was a miracle.

Thirty-one years on Earth, and she’d never been chased or hit by anyone. Less than six hours in this dimension, and it had happened twice.

A crowd gathered by the path Kele ran along. Some laughed and others rolled their eyes but no one helped.

Pumping her long legs, Susan tried to keep up with the shorter Kele but the pale-haired shifter outpaced her.

It wouldn’t be long before the mad shifter dug her nails into Susan’s flesh. She could almost sense Kele’s mother reaching out, the sharp edges of her nails tickling the hairs on the nape of her neck. Susan pushed her body to go faster. Her sides cramped. Her lungs burned. God, was she ever out of shape.

From nowhere, Ahote stepped out of the crowd. A huge grin spread across his face, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Keep running. I’ll try to slow her down.”

As she passed him, he slapped her ass like a fucking horse. The pain spurred her on. The crowd cheered but she couldn’t waste time to look around. Was it for her or maybe the crazy female chasing her? Insane people!

Kele ran into the vegetation that grew in patches inside the den, and Susan lost sight of her. Panic sent her heart into double time, and her pulse only slowed a fraction when she caught a flash of Kele’s blue dress between the plants. Susan ran after her. Over a fallen log, through thick ferns and across a spider web large enough to be classed as a condo. A large entrance in the side of the extinct volcano’s wall loomed ahead.

Susan crossed inside and slid to a stop, dirt blooming into a small cloud around her feet. Panting, she leaned her hands on her knees and dragged in a deep lungful of air. The eerie silence in the cavern had her lifting her head.

Shifters in human-appearing form congregated in small groups on cushions along the walls and around the large fire at the center of the room. It reminded her of a humongous family gathering. Games and cards were scattered on the low tables. Books lined one of the walls. Nice to know they did something other than try to kill each other.

Everyone had stopped to stare.

She straightened and tried to smooth her nest-like hair. Sweat beaded on her forehead and trickled along her face. She clenched her fist so no one could see her hands shake. What did Kele first tell her? Control her fear or they’d be all over her? A little too late to remember.

“Is this the troublemaker?” The deep voice came from a large shifter, who lounged among the multi-colored pillows. He motioned in her direction with a pewter cup.

Susan glanced from Kele, who lay sprawled on her stomach before him, to the shifters surrounding her. Unsure of what to do anymore, it seemed safer to join her on the floor. No matter how degrading. Every fiber in her body shook in defiance as she lay beside Kele, but if it kept her alive…

Crap, she didn’t even understand why Kele’s crazed mother wanted to rip her head off. All she did was offer to shake hands. Note to self: keep hands in pockets from now on. She glanced at the imposing male before them.

With cool blue eyes, he assessed her. Sharp intelligence was reflected in his assessing stare. She should tread carefully. He ran a hand over his long, orange shirt that fell mid-thigh. Leather straps crisscrossed his chest matching his tan leather kilt. The touch of white at his temples was the only sign of his age.

Kele elbowed Susan in the kidney and then pointed at her eyes, then to the floor.

Grinding her teeth, Susan bent her head and stared at the colorful, Persian-like rug.

“Father, this is Susan. I met her on the way to the Temple.” Kele cleared her throat. “I took her from the Apisi alpha when she crossed onto our lands.”

“Sorin crossed our borders because of this female?” He spoke softly since room’s silence allowed his voice to travel easily.

“He was chasing her.”

“Typical. She doesn’t seem attractive enough to warrant such recklessness. He must be desperate.”

A loud snarl to Susan’s left cut through the alpha’s comment. She followed the direction of the angry noise and caught a sound of surprise in her throat. Silver Mane—Sorin—hung from chains by his wrists. Naked. Suspended like a gruesome marionette. Dried blood had formed small trails along his torso. His face was contorted in a fierce scowl as his gaze met hers.

For a split second, she saw through his anger and knew he took offense at the insult tossed her way. She almost laughed, since what Kele’s father had said was true. Nobody would consider her much of a catch. She returned her gaze to the carpet. At least Sorin still lived. Had he really broken pack law to get her back? Something fragile within her chest fluttered.

”Sorin wished her return but I denied him. She’s not a shifter and bears no marks. He didn’t heed my warnings.”

Kele’s father’s silence weighed heavily on Susan. It took every ounce of her self-control not to glance up.

“Doesn’t explain why you prostrate yourself at my feet, Kele.”

“May she remain here as my guest?”

A roar announced the arrival of Kele’s bitchy mother. “Little disrespectful beast jumped me for a stray.”

Kele trembled.

Touching Kele’s hand, Susan steeled her spine for another attack. How awful to be related to that wicked female.

Her new friend glanced at her. “Stay strong.”

Susan’s stomach clenched and her eyebrows shot up. How the hell did she stay strong if she was weak to begin with?

A body hit the ground, hard, on the other side of Susan. She turned toward the noise and found Ahote lying on his stomach, face to the floor. A set of bloody scratches ran down his shoulder and arm.

Sandwiched between Kele and Ahote, Susan took a deep calming breath. It would do no good to run again. Think wolf, not human. The wild animal documentaries she’d watched all advised against running. Instinct could make the shifter chase her more. Running meant fear and gave them power over her. They’d continue treating her like prey. In other words, they’d tear her to pieces.

Kele yelped, causing Susan to twist again. Her mother had sat on her.

Fuck this. Susan lifted her head and faced Kele’s father. Wasn’t he going to do anything about his crazy wife?

He sipped his drink, a small smile on his lips as he watched his family. Next to him sat a slighter male with thick brown curls trimmed close to his head. His gaze met hers. He nodded before smiling and flashing fangs as long as a tiger’s.

So her day could get worse. This must be a vampire. Fantastic.

“Enough.” Susan’s shout echoed in the cavern, and she sat on her knees. “I’d like to go back to the Temple. At least there I only had one shifter trying to eat me.” She pointed at Sorin and ignored Kele’s spastic sputter.

“Eat you?” Kele’s father ran his fingers through his thick blond hair—the same pale shade as his daughter’s. He glanced at his companion, the one sporting fangs, and smirked. “Is that what the Apisi do to their females?”

The vampire’s grin grew wider. “You have to admit, your people come off as a little brutal on first impression.” He took a sip from his cup; all the while his gaze never left Susan. “This is about dominance, not food, young female. You must have done something to set Chaska off.” He gestured to Kele’s mother at the unfamiliar name. “That doesn’t take much.”

A growl rumbled deep inside Chaska—the unnerving creature Kele called mother. “The stray attempted to touch me without submitting first. I’m due at least that small measure of respect, vampire.”

Susan gaped at her. This was all about respect? She took mental notes. If she was going to survive she needed to learn the rules fast. No touching before showing respect. Check.

“Not everyone lives by shifter standards. You should unleash your mate and let her travel outside the forest more often, Inali.” The vampire addressed Kele’s father.

Susan started to file away what info she’d gathered into her mental cabinet for later examination. The vampire lived outside the forest? She hadn’t made it this far in her field of science by being stupid. Her mind was her biggest asset and her best weapon. The shifters lived in the forest but their laws didn’t extend past it. Who inhabited the area outside their borders, and were they easier to live with?

“My mate’s duties lay with the pack. Not dealing with outsiders. That glorious task is my responsibility.” Inali set his cup down.

Chaska dealt with pack problems, like Susan, and Inali took care of things outside the pack, like the vampire. That made some sense. Did that mean dealing with Inali would be easier? Somehow she doubted it.

Inali approached Susan. Even when he squatted, his size dwarfed her kneeling form. Twice as wide as her, probably close to seven feet tall, and all muscle. If she needed to imagine a shifter leader—alpha—it would be Inali.

Kele squirmed next to her under Chaska’s weight. The smaller female sent Susan a warning glare.

Susan comprehended the danger of her situation but she lacked the details on how to react in this culture and the consequences of those actions. Should she bite him? Take off her clothes? Maybe offer to cook them a meal? They obviously didn’t play by human rules.

He smiled at his mate, but no warmth shone from it. “Why are Kele and Ahote involved in this drama?”

“Our daughter attacked me and stole the stray from my hands.”

His hard expression turned to surprise. “Is this true, Kele?”

Her friend went limp. “Yes.”

Both parents beamed. The expressions disappeared so quickly, Susan wasn’t sure if she’d seen it. They turned more reserved gazes on Susan. These people spoke English yet she couldn’t, for the life of her, understand anything going on. Attacked, chased, and made both her and Kele grovel, but they found a moment to look proud?

“It’s about time you take a stand and strive for more dominance in the pack, Kele.” Her father continued to eye Susan as if she’d transformed from an insect to a sentient person before his eyes. “Though I question your motives.”

Chaska rolled off her daughter. She strolled to the cushions and crawled next to the vampire, whose smile turned to ice at her proximity. With a languid stretch, she reached over and snatched the cup from his hands. After draining the contents, she tossed it to an attendant.

The cup thudded on the carpeted floor, sending the servant to chase after it.

The bitch apparently enjoyed spreading her loving nature to all those around her. Susan wasn’t special. It almost made her want to cry. Not.