the man saw her, set down the weight, and rose.

"i'm... looking for lyon."

"are you, now?" the man was dressed in army fatigues, his hair an unstyled shaggy brown, his lower face covered in a two-day growth of beard stubble. his eyes were hard as he came too close, crowding her.

kara stepped back, knocking against the wall behind her.

"are you our new radiant, then?" he growled.

a desperate lump formed in her throat as she nodded jerkily. "i need to find lyon."

the hint of curiosity in the man's eyes transformed to something unpleasant, and he pressed his fists against the wall on either side of her, towering over her.

"what do you want with lyon?" he leaned forward, nearly touching her cheek with his nose, then made a low, animal sound in his throat. "i can smell him on you."

she couldn't move, caught between the wall at her back, the table at her side, and the man himself. "he's not on me. i haven't even seen him since i got up."

"he's marked you. which was foolish of him since there's been no pairing. but if he wants to play that game, so can i." he pushed his pelvis against her hip, pinning her to the wall as he rubbed himself hard.

kara choked, slamming her hands against his chest. "stop it! get away from me!"

and suddenly he was gone, jerked backward by yet another stranger, a furious black-haired man with skin the color of a native american and a scar across one eye that looked exactly like the marks on her breast. cold fury filled his black eyes.

her heart froze. the dread she'd been fighting since she woke leaped, sending her into a spiraling panic.

but the black-haired warrior turned that heated gaze on her attacker. "jag, you go too far."

with a snarl, jag swung at the other man, raking his fingernails across the man's face. no, not fingernails. claws. huge, razor-sharp cat's claws.

kara shrieked, then clapped her hand against her mouth as ribbons of blood bloomed on her rescuer's face. a face that, even as she watched, transformed into something out of a horror flick. black eyes shifting, the irises expanding until no white showed, changing to the golden eyes of a jungle cat. his teeth grew, both canines and incisors elongating, sharpening to daggers.

with a roar of fury, the two men attacked one another, tumbling onto the floor in a slash of claws and fangs, barely missing her feet. she stood frozen, staring at them, her mouth wide, chills racing down her spine in a continuous, icy flow. tremors coursed through her limbs until her entire body was shaking.

they weren't human. she'd known they weren't human, but... but....

panic raked at her mind as one word, a single desperate cry, screamed through her head and finally found its way out of her mouth.

"ly-on!"

chapter five

at the sound of kara's scream, lyon leaped from his desk chair and started running, as he turned the corner to the media room, he saw jag and paenther in a full-out feral battle, or as much of one as they could manage when they couldn't fully shift. they were tearing one another to shreds at the very feet of their brand-new, very human-minded radiant, a radiant who he'd intentionally not told they were shape-shifters.

dammit to hell.

well, she had a pretty good clue now and appeared none too happy about it if the look of raw terror on her face was anything to go by.

"cease!" at his roar, the combatants tore apart and sprang to their feet, their gazes locked on one another for a long, heated moment, before slowly turning his way.

blood striped the carpet and drenched what was left of their shredded clothes.

lyon's gaze swung to kara, taking in the unnatural paleness of her skin. her wild-eyed gaze locked on his, and she flew at him. he barely had time to open his arms before she pressed herself against him.

"everything okay?" tighe asked, rushing into the room, hawke close behind.

"yeah." lyon closed his arms around the quaking woman slowly, awkwardly, feeling both stunned and awed by her sudden lack of fear of him. by her trust. he was a man used to wariness in others, and he'd certainly instilled that in her well enough last night. yet now she clung to him as if he were all that stood between her and certain death.

thanks to his two warriors, who only now were beginning to sheathe their beasts.

he slid his hand beneath kara's soft hair, pressing his palm to her bare neck to ease some of the panic pouring out of her.

tighe met his gaze with a grimace. "i guess she got an eyeful." he shook his head with regret. "she saw pink. i should have warned the bird..."

"it's my fault. i put off an explanation that shouldn't have been delayed." he looked to paenther. "the pairing takes place in an hour."

paenther nodded.

as lyon peeled kara away from him, she looked at him with eyes that, while no longer petrified, were still more wild than he would have liked.

"come." he held out his hand, and she took it without hesitation and followed him from the room. his palm pressed against hers, calming her as he led her up the stairs. but while her fear, ebbed away, he sensed rage rushing in to fill the void.

the moment they reached her room, she jerked away from him and grabbed her suitcase. "i hate this place! i'm going home."

no. she wasn't. but he was wise enough not to voice that thought out loud. not yet. not until he'd had a chance to ease her anger. he crossed the floor and slid his hands on her tight shoulders, but she whirled out of his reach and faced him, her color high, blue eyes flashing.

"stop it! stop manipulating my emotions. i like feeling angry." but with each word, he felt her anger draining away. "i hate feeling afraid." her hands rose and splayed over her skull, her gaze scattering like shot over the floor. "this place is driving me crazy."

finally, her hands fell, and her gaze rose to spear him. "you neglected to tell me a few things."

"yes." avoided, was more like it. "i'm sorry. i didn't think you were ready for the whole story, but you shouldn't have had to find out that way."

"i think you'd better tell me everything now." her voice was brittle, but no longer jagged with emotion.

lyon nodded. he'd known he'd have to tell her sooner or later, though he'd been opting for later. "why don't we sit down?" he needed to be able to reach her, touch her, if she became agitated. yeah, right. he just wanted to be close enough to smell the sweet scent rising from her skin.

but kara refused. "i don't want to sit."

lyon settled himself on the upholstered chair by the window where he could watch her.

she met his gaze. "what are you? werewolves or something?"

"shape-shifters." he could almost see the wheels turning in her head.

"just eyes and fangs? and claws?"

"no. the partial shift comes about when emotions run high. usually negative emotions. we call the partial shift going feral. when we're in full power, we can also shift completely into our animals when we want to. that takes control, and is usually not done in the heat of anger."

she looked away, as if processing that. "am i one? an animal?"

"no."

her focus returned to him, her sweet mouth moving, her teeth playing with her lip. on a burst of air, she sank onto the chest at the foot of the bed. "you'd better tell me the rest, lyon. i need to know."

she wanted the truth. deserved the truth. and yet there were things-things about the rituals-she was not ready to hear. he'd tell her what he could.

"all right." he settled himself more comfortably and recited the brief version of their history he'd learned as a youth. "eons ago, before the rise of human civilization, two immortal races battled the daemons for control of the earth. the mage, or magic ones, and the therians, the mighty shape-shifters. though traditional enemies, the mage and therians banded together to overcome the high daemon, satanan, ending his reign of terror and destroying his armies."

kara watched him, her blue eyes deep as the sea, her expression, for once, giving nothing away.

"the cost of victory was high," he continued, still reciting. "to win that ultimate battle, both races were forced to mortgage nearly all their power. only one therian among each of the ancient lines of shape-shifters was left with the power of his animal. they became known as the feral warriors. today there are only nine of us left. our job is to hunt the remnants of the daemon empire, the draden, and to guard the blade that imprisons the high daemon and his horde."

"so you don't... attack people?"

lyon felt his lips twitch. "no. we're not monsters."

"what about the draden? do they attack people? humans?"

"rarely. they're mindless beings, pure predators who feed off therian energy. they can feed off us just by being near us, though they'll attack if they get the chance. as long as we keep their numbers low, there's enough energy to go around. if their numbers grow too large, though, as they're in danger of doing now, they'll turn on humans. humans give off such low levels of energy, a draden can only feed by stealing it all. killing the person."

she stood and began pacing, her stride sure and graceful. "where does the radiant... where do i come into all this?"

"it's through you that we access the earth's energy that gives us the power to shape-shift and thrive."

her gaze snapped to his. "how?"

"initially, through the ritual that ascends you. after that, just by living," and making love with her mate.

an unwanted image blasted through his head, sending the blood rushing to his groin. kara lying sprawled across the sheets, thighs wide and welcoming.

he didn't want to be her mate. being chief already took up all his time. a woman would demand attention he didn't have time to give. he didn't want a mate. but damned if she didn't keep making him forget that.

shifting uncomfortably, he leaned forward. "we need to be able to reach our animals, kara. and we can only do that through your ascension."

she stopped pacing and faced him. "i don't want to be your radiant. find another one, lyon. please. i'm not right for this. job. i don't belong here."

her unhappiness wove a tight web of misery around them both. "you'll belong here soon enough. you just have to get used to us."

"it's not going to work."

"kara... you've been here less than a day."

"i know. it's just..."

he rose and went to her, cupping his hands over her shoulders without trying to quell her emotions. her scent rose to engulf him, filling him with a heady rush of pure lust. his hands tightened, and he had to struggle to keep from pulling her against him, to keep from covering her mouth in a kiss that would shatter them both.

she looked up at him, her blue eyes pools of confusion. "you don't understand, lyon. i'm a preschool teacher. i'm not cut out for this job,".

"you're wrong, kara. you're strong. as strong as any woman i've ever met."

she snorted in disbelief. "i'm not."

lyon released her. "it doesn't matter, kara. there's only one radiant at a time. only when one dies will the next be marked."

understanding dawned slowly over her features, and her jaw dropped, her eyes going wide. "so i'm stuck here until i die? that isn't fair! someone should have asked me if i wanted this job."

"kara..."

she waved her hand as if flicking away his words... or her own. "don't. don't say it. i know it was a silly comment. it's just...i don't like it here. i don't like this house. i don't feel safe here."

"there's nowhere safer for you. you just have to get used to what we are."

"what if i never do?" fire leaped into her eyes. "i won't be a prisoner here for the rest of my life, lyon. i won't."

lyon cursed whatever fates had sent her mother west. kara should have been raised therian. how much easier this would have been on all of them.

"i'll make you a promise," he said, as she stood before him, hugging herself, watching him. "after your ascension, if you want to leave, you can live among the humans as long as you stay in this area."

she wouldn't. he was sure of it. the radiant was the one among them whose true mate, body, heart, and soul, was preordained. chosen by the earth. once she found her mate, she'd never choose to go. but she didn't need to know that. not now. the woman needed to think she had choices.

"how long until the ascension?"

"as long as it takes to get you ready. hopefully, no more than five or six days, though your lack of preparation may cause it to take longer. the first of the rituals will take place within the hour. we need to get started. you must be prepared."

he'd intended to have pink do the preparation. no male should be expected to perform such a task, especially with a woman who stirred his senses like a spring thunderstorm. but after the debacle in the media room, and the earlier encounter with pink, he knew she wasn't ready for close contact with the flamingo servant.

"five days. six, max," he said. maybe longer. "can you stick with us that long?"

her breath left her on a snort. "who are we kidding? we both know you're not going to let me leave."

lyon felt one corner of his mouth lift as his admiration for her grew. though her emotions at times got the better of her, she had a strong, clear mind.

"let me ask it another way, then. will you cooperate until we get you ascended?"

she lifted a single, dark gold brow. "that's the real question, isn't it?" the challenge in her gaze made him smile.