Chapter Ten
The instant the shuttle landed at the resort, Felix, Leo, and Casey jumped out. Betrys shadowed them while wondering if she should follow or make herself scarce.
Leo halted and turned, his tail swishing.
“Leo, what—” Felix broke off, his gaze connecting with hers.
Betrys came to a complete halt at Felix’s expression. There was worry and concern for his brother, and a fierceness that made her fear for her safety.
Leo growled low in his throat, and Felix severed their connection.
“Come with us,” Casey said.
“No, I don’t think—”
At Leo’s sharp grumble, she stopped her verbal thought.
“Come with us,” Felix ordered. “We’ll need to ask you questions about Iseult.
We need to know what we’re dealing with.
” On uttering those words, he stalked off.
Casey fell in behind, but Leo didn’t move.
At her hesitation, he padded up to her and gave the back of her legs a hard shunt in the direction his brother and sister-in-law had taken.
“Okay.” Betrys sighed. Meeting the rest of his family felt like an ordeal, one she’d love to dodge. Another sigh whooshed from her. Hiding wasn’t an option.
Felix and Casey disappeared inside a building.
“Where’s Leo?” a masculine voice demanded.
“He’s coming,” Felix said.
Leo waited until she entered, then followed on her heels.
The interior was spacious, yet Betrys found it difficult to discern the use of the space.
An exercise area or perhaps another holo room.
A sturdy table stood in the middle. Stacks of building materials and tins of paint filled the far corner. A work-in-progress, she decided.
“Betrys,” the man said. “I’m Saber.”
“Yes.” She shifted her weight from foot to foot, trepidation doing a number on her nerves. After a hasty breath, she forced a smile. “You did the welcoming speech.”
He gave a curt nod before turning his attention to Leo. “Scarlett hasn’t discovered much. It seems the Spiderus race is secretive. We’re going to need to make a decision. Do you want us to cut this thing out?”
“Bearing in mind the task might be beyond my skills,” Casey declared.
“But if it’s a parasite of some type, it would need to come out whenever it’s finished its pupa stage or whatever the hell it’s doing inside you.” Felix added his opinion, and it wasn’t difficult to discern his worry.
“He’s in a lot of pain,” Betrys said. “Caspar gave him a tonic, which helped a little. I’ve noticed him pressing on the wound, but I didn’t realize it was bothering him so much.
Almost overnight, the area has bulged out, and I could feel something moving beneath the flesh.
” Emotion built, became a heavy weight expanding up her throat, and she had to stop, swallow.
Leo moved closer and leaned against her legs. He butted her hand with his head and a choked laugh escaped her.
“You’re not meant to comfort me.” Her hand slid over his silky head, and she found herself scratching behind his ears. “This is my fault.”
“Your fault?” Saber said in a sharp voice. “How so?”
Leo growled—a low and mean don’t-mess-with-me snarl—and his older brother lifted both his hands in silent surrender. Then Leo butted her hand in a demand for more petting.
A shaky laugh escaped Betrys. “I guess Leo hasn’t told you everything.”
“You were the one who got him on the shuttle and sent him home when he was sick,” Saber said. “For that, you have our thanks. Leo told us you have a son who is living at Spiderus Mansion. If I had a son, I’d want to protect him. I’d do anything to keep him safe. Anything.”
“Thank you for understanding.” Some of the tension leached from her muscles, and her hand resumed the slow up-and-down stroke of Leo’s silky head. He leaned into her a little more, and a rumbly purr emerged from his throat.
Two more people arrived—another dark-haired man who resembled Leo and Felix, plus a young woman who wore her hair piled on top of her head in a donut-shaped bun. Her green eyes and black hair spoke of her relationship to the Mitchell brothers.
“Scarlett,” Saber said. “Did you learn anything?”
She shook her head. “Nothing more than we already know. We’re going to have to operate on instinct.”
“I brought the instruments you wanted, Casey,” the man said.
“Thanks, Sly.” Casey accepted a black leather bag from a man who Betrys decided looked like another Mitchell brother. He possessed the same green eyes and black hair, long in his case, and held back with a hunter-green bandanna.
“Leo, let me see your scar.” Saber took charge.
Leo obediently flopped over on his back to expose his stomach.
Betrys studied the scar along with the others.
While it was visible, the old wound had lost its redness, and the swelling had reduced.
“Something about his feline shape seems to make the thing inside him subside. If he’s in humanoid form, the thing bulges out and pulses a lot more.
” She paused to take a breath, part of her surprised at her calmness.
The man she’d touched and kissed possessed a dual nature.
She’d had no idea and Iseult hadn’t suspected a thing either.
Maybe his feline characteristics had been the difference that saved him from death.
“Leo needs to shift to human,” Casey said. “If what Betrys says is true, that would make the thing easier to cut out.”
“We need a container to put the thing inside.” Saber’s creased brow told Betrys he was trying to think ahead and plan for contingencies. “Something solid that will keep it enclosed. Whatever it is, we don’t want it to escape and find another host.”
“What about a preserving jar?” Sly asked.
“Just the thing.” Saber nodded in approval as Sly disappeared out the door. “Casey, get everything prepared and sterilized, ready to go before Leo shifts. We want him as comfortable as possible.”
Betrys squeezed into a corner and acted invisible, clammy hands wrapped around her middle while she attempted to tamp down her growing panic.
They were cutting Leo open—a dangerous act—yet the brothers and sister and Casey worked as a calm, competent team while she was the interloper.
When she realized she was swaying, she placed one palm on the wall.
Goddess, she hoped Leo survived this ordeal.
Iseult hadn’t done this to any other male.
Was this a coincidence? Had his wound become infected since his return to the resort?
Sly rushed back, a preserving jar in hand. “I told Ma one of the beasts had a parasite, and we wanted a container so we could transport it to Dalcon for identification. She gave me a bottle of vinegar and said we should pour it over the parasite to preserve it.”
Saber chuckled. “Did she want to come and watch?”
“She’d just put a batch of scones in the cook-box,” Sly said. “She needed to supervise the new staff.”
Casey pulled several items from the medical bag. “Place a clean sheet over the table. I’m going to inject the surface area with a numbing agent. The medical wand should do the trick. It might even spit out a diagnosis if we’re lucky.”
Saber walked over to Casey and Leo. “Okay, Leo. We’re ready for you. Shift now, and we’ll see what we’ve got.”
Leo scanned the interior until he saw her trying to hide.
He butted her leg with his head, and Betrys crouched to bury her head against his shoulder.
The second she released him, he licked her cheek, the abrasive nature of his tongue across her skin transmitting messages of instant lust. A soft hum escaped her, echoed milliseconds later by a rumble that translated as satisfaction.
Color rushed to her cheeks, and one of the brothers laughed. The heat in her face intensified.
“Save that for later, Leo,” Saber said in a stern voice, but Betrys caught the underlying humor beneath his severity.
Casey sanitized her hands. “Let’s do this.”
Leo prowled toward the sheet-draped table. He stopped beside Saber, and his sigh was loud in the silent room. He didn’t want to do this, and Betrys couldn’t blame him.
Leo took another audible breath and after a long pause, the transformation commenced.
Betrys stared in a combination of fascination and horror.
Surely that must hurt? Or maybe they became used to the way their skin and muscles warped and the snapping and popping as their bones and skin realigned to their alternative form.
The shift took precious minutes. They’d be vulnerable at this stage.
Finally, Leo’s naked form slumped on the floor in front of them. Two of his brothers crouched beside him and helped Leo onto the table.
“Betrys,” he gasped.
“I’m here.” She moved forward.
“Stand on the other side of the table.” Saber seemed comfortable bossing them all about. “Give Casey room to work.”
“Holy fuck,” Sly said. “Look at that sucker.”
“It’s grown bigger.” Betrys stared at the distinct bulge from Leo’s stomach. “Much bigger than it was earlier this morn.”
“It needs to come out.” Saber frowned, and Betrys saw his concern for his younger brother.
Casey examined the instruments and chose a scalpel.
“I think it’s trying to emerge. Whatever it is, we don’t want it running around the room.
Make sure the door is locked so no one can enter until we’re done.
Felix, Saber, I want you to prepare to grab it.
Scarlett, you spray the thing with this knock-out solution.
I’ll tell you when. Wait, everyone put on gloves.
We don’t want it burrowing into anyone else. ”
Leo groaned, pain etched into his features. Betrys took his hand and squeezed. This was her fault, and she intended to stand by his side and help correct the consequences of her actions.
“Right.” Casey scanned their faces, her manner calm despite the simmering tension that filled the room. “Everyone ready?”
“Do it.” Leo’s pained groan made the hair at the back of Betrys’s neck prickle.
“I’m injecting the area,” Casey said in a level voice. Her face was serious, her concentration absolute.