Therian Prisoner: 3 (Therian Heat) by Cyndi Friberg Friberg

family members who were referred to by the title. My bloodline hosts the Historians, so this position is something else.”
    “Ian has never mentioned it to you?”
    Erin smiled and shook her head. “There are a great many things Ian has failed to mention to me if Payne’s premonition is accurate.” Erin reached over and squeezed Ava’s hand. “Tell Kyle to stop wasting Eli’s time and take you to bed.”
    Ava returned the squeeze and whispered, “Gladly.”
    * * * * *
     
    Heather sat on the edge of the bed and brushed the hair back from Dhane’s pale face. She’d always been closest to Landon, but she loved each of her brothers dearly. “Who did this to him?” He moved restlessly, muttering under his breath as if he were trapped in a nightmare.
    “Let Lexxie feed him and I’ll explain as well as I can.” Landon drew her away from the bed then out of the room, closing the door behind them.
    Two Therian males were in the living room. Their conversation stopped abruptly when Landon led her into view. She didn’t recognize the burly, bearded man, but Jake was no stranger to her. “You’re a long way from home,” she said to the tiger-shifter. He owned an upscale restaurant and bar in the heart of Aspen. “What brings you so far from your territory?”
    He just grinned, refusing to indulge her curiosity. “How’s Dhane?”
    “Hopefully Lexxie can turn this around,” Landon replied, even though Jake had been looking at her when he’d asked the question.
    “So who’s going to explain what the hell’s going on?” Heather shifted her gaze from her brother to Jake and back to the handsome tiger-shifter. “Where did you find Dhane and who screwed him up like this?”
    “The cats raided a lab high in the mountains a few days ago,” Landon began. “They thought it was an Abolitionist outpost, but what they discovered was much more advanced and more dangerous.”
    “I’ll bite. What did they discover?”
    “A high-tech lab, complete with Therian test subjects.” Jake scooted to the edge of the couch, his dark gaze gleaming in the lamplight. She shouldn’t find his sleek good looks appealing, but this wasn’t the first time he’d caught her eye or ignited her imagination. He was so different from the hunters in her pack, more complex and mysterious. “The lab was liberated and then destroyed, but one of the doctors has provided us with information.”
    “Ian and Payne were checking out one of those leads when they found Dhane,” Landon added.
    “That’s all very ambiguous. Who’s running these labs and why haven’t we heard about them before now? Are the two labs you discovered all there are or are they peppered all over the country?”
    “Our information is sketchy at best.” The challenge in Jake’s eyes told her he was full of shit. He’d told her all he was willing to share, but he knew a whole hell of a lot more than he was saying.
    Rather than starting a fight with the cat, she turned to her brother. “When will Dhane be well enough to travel?”
    “I’m not sure he wants to return.”
    She took a deep breath and counted to three before answering. She’d known this was coming. Landon had given up on their older brother a long time ago, but he’d never stopped hoping that he could recruit Dhane.
    “Dhane is loyal to our pack. He can’t stay here.” She tried not to raise her voice, but frustration and resentment boiled within her. She’d always looked up to Landon, which made his betrayal even more painful.
    “Dhane will make up his own mind once he recovers. I won’t have you bullying him.”
    “Me, bully him? Pa-lease.” She planted her fists on her hips and glared right into Landon’s eyes. “You’re the one who’s determined to convert the whole freaking world!”
    “They murdered Bruce.” Landon didn’t raise his voice, but his tone snapped with bitterness. “Doesn’t that bother you? I know he was a pain in the ass, but he was our brother. And he was mauled