Winter Born Read Free Page A

My surviving sister said that he could help me get home again.”
    The panther frowned at her. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t you go home on your own?”
    She sighed as frustration filled her. How she wished it were that simple. If she were an older pantheress, she could easily find her own way home, but her kind didn’t get all their psychic abilities until after their first mating.
    Even then her powers would have to be trained and honed so that she could wield them. That was something that could take decades, if not centuries, to master.
    â€œI was kidnapped from the future by a group of Katagaria panthers and brought to this time period against my will. Unfortunately, my powers are just starting and I have no control over them or any way home on my own until I master them. The last thing I want is to overshoot my time period or end up with the dinosaurs.”
    He looked at her suspiciously. “I still don’t understand why they took you. Why go to the future for a mate when there are plenty of packs here?”
    She clenched her fists at that. “It’s some stupid pact my pack made with theirs. Since we seem to have an abundance of females, my pack agreed to sacrifice a number of females every generation from certain families so that the Katagaria panthers would leave the rest of the pack alone. Every time one of the winter born females in the chosen families starts to season, the same pack comes to our home and brings us to their time period to mate with them. They don’t want Katagaria females since they won’t stay and raise their young. They keep us instead and use us as slaves. My one surviving sister helped me to escape after they brought me here before they could induct me into their pack. She sent me to Atlanta to find Acheron. She said he could return me to my time period.”
    â€œHow does she know Acheron?”
    Pandora ached at the thought that she would benefit from her sister’s misery. “Before she was mated to one of their males and had her own children, she was trying to escape their pack. One night, she overheard some of the Katagaria talking about a Dark-Hunter named Acheron, and after they went to sleep, she searched for him online. By the time she found out enough information to locate him, she was pregnant and couldn’t leave her children behind, so she gave her information to me once they brought me over.”
    â€œHell of a sister you have there.”
    â€œYes,” Pandora agreed. “She’s the best sister in the world and I would give anything if I could help her, too.”
    The panther stepped back with a sigh, then started for the door.
    She took his arm to keep him from leaving as another thought occurred to her. “Could you help me get home?”
    He shook his head. “My powers aren’t quite that strong. If I wanted to take anyone other than myself across time, I would have to wait for the full moon. The only one in my pack who could do it without waiting is Dante and if you get near him—”
    â€œI’ll attack him for sex.”
    He nodded.
    Damn.
    At least all wasn’t lost though. “But you do know Acheron, right? Will he help me?”
    â€œI don’t know. He’s strange sometimes and no one ever knows how he’s going to react or what he’s going to do or say. But you can always ask. The best thing is for you to stay here in your room where Mike and Leo hopefully can’t find you—like I said, they’re young and aren’t as experienced at tracking prey. I’ll spread your scent around to keep them off you. Once I’ve got them occupied, I’ll bring Ash to you. Okay?”
    It was more than okay. It was great. She’d never thought to find a Katagari male who could be so kind.
    â€œThank you.” As he moved away, Pandora stopped him again. “Really, thank you.”
    He offered her a kind, fatherly smile and patted her hand.