Page 46 of Their Defiant Mate

Isaac scooped her up and placed her on his lap. “Little wonder you’ve had a hard time trusting us.”

She looked into his soulful eyes and smiled. “The empathic link is wonderful. It reassures me like words never could.”

Jon scooted up and pulled her feet onto his lap. “The link makes things easier, but we’re willing to earn your trust. You are the most important person in the universe to us and we are going to prove it.” He picked up one of her feet and began rubbing.

“Oh, God,” she moaned. “That feels so good, I’ll trust you with anything if you keep doing that.”

“We’ll explore that offer tomorrow,” Jon countered, kissing the top of her foot. “We all need to get some sleep.”

Things were developing nicely with her mates, but Tara was still horribly worried about her friends. The hunters continued to search for the elusive entrance to the tunnels, but no one found anything. Shadow Teams routinely checked the lupine village, hoping that the captives would be transported there. Day after day they found no indication of the captives’ current location.

The ongoing interrogations of Elias and Babcock revealed nothing useful. If Isaac dug the information out by force, it would cause irreversible brain damage or possibly death. And there was still no guarantee that Isaac would be able to locate the facts they needed. So Jon and Kyle utilized traditional interrogation techniques while Isaac lightly scanned the resulting emotions. Tara tried not to let the lack of progressupset her, but she couldn’t keep herself from worrying about Claire and Dawn.

Isaac and Kyle came home for lunch one afternoon. Jon wasn’t with them. He’d accompanied Diego to the raptor village, and it was likely they’d be gone for a couple of days. Tara wasn’t sure what they were doing, but it had something to do with salvaging parts from an old transport ship.

Isaac and Kyle were unusually friendly, and it quickly became apparent that they were attempting to cheer her up. She found their efforts endearing, but futile. What she needed was a purpose, something to fill her time so she didn’t obsess about her friends.

“Can I take a shot at questioning Elias?” she asked as they finished their meal. Snow had been falling for days and Tara was going stir crazy in their cabin. “All the usual strategies haven’t worked. Maybe I can sweet-talk some answers out of him.”

Isaac and Kyle looked at each other and then back at her. “Have you ever interrogated someone before?” Isaac asked.

“The point is to keep him from realizing that he’s being interrogated,” she stressed. “Has he had lunch yet? If I take him some food, I could casually stick around to chat afterward.”

Kyle’s gaze shifted back to Isaac then he shrugged. “It’s not a bad idea.”

“Wolves can’t identify specific cats by scent, but he’ll know you have mates,” Isaac muttered thoughtfully. “Besides, we’d never let an unclaimed female near him.” After another thoughtful pause, he stressed, “Make damn sure he doesn’t realize who you are, or who we are.”

“My mates are no one important. Just three random members of the pride,” Tara insisted with a conspirator’s smile. “I’m sure he’s putting on a brave front, but he’s got to be feeling hopeless by now. I’ll show him compassion and see if he opens up.” She mimicked Kyle’s shrug as she asked, “What do we have to lose?”

“Hold on,” Isaac said. “Let me see what Zion thinks.”

Zion. Always Zion. None of the lion hybrids did anything without consulting the pride leader. It might not have bothered her so much if she didn’t dislike him so intensely. She had to admit that Zion seemed to have the good of the pride front and center in every decision he made. Still, he was so abrasive.

A few minutes passed while Isaac conferred with Zion.

Tara fidgeted in her seat, then pushed back from the table and cleared the dishes. Anxious energy made it impossible to sit still. She really wanted to do this. She needed to feel useful, like she was doing something to get her friends back.

Isaac’s expression refocused and he looked at Tara. “Zion has given you a reluctant approval, so you’ll need to make the most of the opportunity. I’m not sure how long he’ll allow it.”

“I can do that.” Her pulse kicked up a notch and she fought back a smile. She was going to interrogate a prisoner. It wasn’t an appropriate occasion for levity.

“I’ll be nearby scanning while you talk to him,” Isaac went on. “Even if he won’t tell you his secrets, you might be able to draw them closer to the surface.”

Tara nodded. “Have his keepers fed him yet? That’s the most believable excuse for why I’d be allowed near him.”

“We’re in luck,” Isaac said as they moved toward the door. “He hasn’t had anything to eat since last night.”

How often were the prisoners fed? Elias was a murderous piece of shit, but no one deserved to starve to death. She didn’t bother asking. Care of the prisoners wasn’t her mates’ responsibility. They were interrogators and spies.

Responding to her expression or a surge in her emotions, Kyle explained, “Screwing with a prisoner’s schedule is a common technique for wearing them down. They’re often fed at odd intervals and not allowed to sleep until they lose track of time.”

Tara’s only response was a nod as she moved to the door and started putting her outerwear on. Her mates helped her bundle up as they prepared to brave the cold. Winter had officially arrived on Rydaria, and it was promising to be a miserable one. They tromped through knee-deep snow as they zigzagged up the hill toward the lodge. Tara’s breath puffed out in visible clouds as she struggled for footing.

Life in the village was challenging enough. She couldn’t even imagine what her life would have been like if the humans hadn’t worked out an alliance with the lion hybrids. No, that wasn’t true. Life would have been short and tragic, because there was no way they would have survived.

They reached the lodge and Tara shook off the snow, then stomped her feet to dislodge even more. She unwrapped her scarf and dragged the stocking cap off her head. There was no one in the main room, but someone had to be about. A fire burned in the massive fireplace.

“Detention cells are in the basement,” Kyle explained as Isaac ducked into the kitchen to retrieve a tray of food.

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