by K. N. Banet
“It’s a start,” Hasan agreed. “Alpha Everson is taking his daughter upstairs so we may use the living room for our meeting. Hisao wants to strike at midnight.”
“Do you think they might have run by now? They know I escaped with Heath. They’ll know we’re going to come for them.”
“They’ll have already run,” Hasan said, nodding. “But we can hunt them down. Don’t worry.”
I nodded, accepting that, and followed him in. He held the door again, and I walked in, going to the living room. I stopped at the back as Hasan moved into the middle. Davor slid up next to me.
“Sorry. I was an ass. You’re my sister, and our enemies targeted you, fought you, and captured you. I…don’t think enough before I speak sometimes. I went out to make sure you were okay and then let my attitude get the better of me.” He was deathly serious. I looked at his face and noticed it was a little pale. Looking past him, I saw Hisao watching us closely. The assassin’s eyes narrowed as I stared.
“Apology accepted,” I said quietly. “It’s fine. We don’t need to get along, but maybe we can turn the hostility down a little.”
“I agree,” he said, heaving out a sigh. “Thank you.”
I was never going to ask if Hisao threatened him or not. I was just going to take the apology at face value and try to move on with my life.
And hopefully, not have any fucking nightmares about the look on the assassin’s face across the room. It was distinctly too pleased.
“Let’s get to work,” Hasan said loudly, now that Davor and I were done.
21
Chapter Twenty-One
“We’re going to hunt in pairs,” Hasan began. “Alpha Everson has already marked the location where we should begin on a map.” He pulled it out of his blazer’s inside pocket and dropped it on the coffee table. “Now, the wolves won’t be joining us because this has stopped being their fight. While Heath is an ally, and he helped immensely in finding Jacky, he does have a family, and we’re going to respect that. Are we all okay with that?”
“Yes, sir,” half of us said loudly. I was more than all right with Heath sitting this one out. I was amazed he had even helped to find me. While they didn’t get the big rescue they probably wanted, it had given me a chance to run. I was going to take it as a win.
“Should we officially consider him a friend to the werecats?” Zuri asked, reaching for the map. “I know he’s the werewolf liaison to us now or whatever strange title the North American Council gave him, but maybe we should recognize his efforts.”
“We will discuss it once we’ve put down this resistance. It could put him at risk, and I don’t want to make those decisions without his input,” Hasan answered. I raised an eyebrow, and it caught his eye. “Yes, Jacqueline?”
“Anyone who doesn’t respect us already wants to kill him. Mikkel wanted to drop his and Landon’s bodies at the feet of the Tribunal werewolves as a warning that any werewolf coming too close to our business wouldn’t be tolerated. At this point, I think a public sign of our support and protection will help him, not hurt him. He might need it.”
“He already has your public display of support,” Niko pointed out.
“And look at what good that did him,” I replied. “I’m a young werecat nobody really knows and has no reason to respect.”
“Then you need to give them a reason,” Hisao whispered. “Kill enough of them, and they’ll fall in line.”
“That’s why Mikkel hates you,” I said in annoyance. “Kill your enemies instead of listening to dissenters. If I start killing werecats to protect werewolves…”
“A nightmare waiting to happen, bigger than the one we’re dealing with now,” Zuri finished. “We’ll figure this out after we take Mikkel down. He didn’t attack the werewolves. He attacked you and this family. We’re justified in killing him and everyone who allies with him. Let’s handle that first, then all of you should leave the politics to me or Father.”
I was grateful there had been no large family gatherings when I lived with Hasan. If I had faced the different personalities and conflicting ideas while I was still young and new to this extent, I would have run away.
“Let’s get back on topic,” Jabari called out. “Leave other discussions for after the hunt.”
“When was the last time we did a family hunt?” Mischa asked loudly.
“Does it matter?” Davor asked with a snort. “We’re doing one tonight.”
“We’ve done this before?” I was more confused than anything else.
“During the War when we realized the wolves were overwhelming us in numbers,” my Russian sister said with a smile. “And we showed them.”
“Moving. On,” Jabari snarled. “Father…”
“This is why we don’t do family hunts anymore,” Hasan whispered to his oldest son. Everyone in the room heard, and most of my siblings began chuckling.
Werecats didn’t have a natural inclination to respect leadership, to bend to the dominant or more powerful force. Even I was finding it hard to stay on topic, feeling the need to revolt ever so slightly against the idea of Hasan leading the conversation, wanting to join in with the others.
Hasan snapped his fingers twice. Even though Jabari had called us all back to attention, Hasan’s comment had led Mischa and Davor into another conversation, and even Zuri joined in.
“Up here!” he growled. “We need to focus.”
“How the hell did Mikkel get a bunch of werecats to work together well enough to invade my territory?” I asked myself out loud. “We can’t even focus when we need to kill these people.” Everyone looked at me. When no one said anything, I shrugged. “It’s a valid question. When I worked with the wolves in Dallas, they were pack-oriented, willing to follow the orders of one person and work toward a common goal. We don’t even like when someone tells us to set the table or sit quietly while someone else talks.”
“He probably deals with this as well,” Hasan said, nodding. “It doesn’t change our plans. We’ll go to the spot where Heath picked you up and begin our hunt. We’re hunting in pairs, and Jacqueline, you’ll be with me.”
There was a collective gasp.
“Father…” Zuri said softly. “Are you sure?”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” I cut in as Hasan stared at me, ignoring whatever Zuri was about to say.
“It’s not about babysitting. It’s about a show of power. You’ll fight by my side, watch my back, and you’ll finally get to see me fight against another werecat.”
“It’s a great honor,” Jabari added, looking down at me. “He’ll expect you to keep up.”
I nodded slowly. Weird.
“Father, are you sure? You’ll be their main target. Even if they’ve scattered, the moment they catch your scent on the wind with Jacky, they’ll come for you.”
“Yes. Jacqueline has proven herself a capable predator I can rely on,” Hasan answered. “And I want all the werecats to know I trust every single one of my children to live up to the legacy of this family, no matter their age. Just because she’s young doesn’t mean they can write her off as weak.”
“Well, thanks,” I said. “I’ll do my best.”
“You won’t do your best. You’ll do what is necessary, even if it asks for a great deal more than what you’ve ever given before,” Hasan corrected.
I nodded once, his message loud and clear.
“The rest of you will pair as follows—Jabari and Zuri, Davor and Mischa, Niko and Hisao. Watch each other’s backs and cover weak spots. Stay close to one another and don’t leave your partner for prey without making it clear you’ve caught a scent, and they will follow.” Hasan rubbed his hands together, looking at all of them. “Any questions?”
“How long do we hunt?” Hisao asked. “Is there a time you wish to have us back?”
“Until they’ve all fallen. I don’t care if we must chase them all around the world. We’ll see them dead before we go home. Because of that…Jabari, did you bring them?”
“Did you bring them?” our father asked again.
Jabari sighed and went outside. We all heard a car door open and slam, then he walked back in, holding fanny packs.
“One of each pair will have one of these to carry cellphones and other technology. I’ve had Jabari developing them, against his will, after the Washington incident. They are fireproof and waterproof. If it’s broken off, one of you will carry it. Don’t let it get stolen, please.” Hasan grabbed one and tossed it at me. “You’ll be holding onto ours.”
“Obviously, because you would have these made but never force yourself the embarrassment of wearing one,” I muttered. “Though this would have come in handy when I was taken. I wouldn’t have lost my bag so easily in the chase.”
“Don’t encourage him,” Davor growled. “He’ll have us wearing hiking packs by the end of the year.”
“He already had us wear packs during the War,” Niko added in a whisper. “After about a century, we convinced him to stop making us do it when we traveled.”
“Well, neither of you were run out of your territory, trying to hold a duffel bag in your teeth,” I answered, then realized we had once again gotten off topic. I looked up at Hasan, who was beginning to lose his patience with us. “Sorry.”
“You’re all lucky we aren’t leaving until nightfall,” he said with a growl. “Davor, help Niko load up our vehicles. Zuri and Jabari, let’s go over the map and pick hunting zones to start with based on our best estimations of where they may have run. Jacqueline, eat more. Hisao, make sure she does that.”
Everyone scattered, and I was left with the most terrifying of my siblings hovering over my shoulder.
“Let’s go,” he ordered, grabbing the shoulder of my shirt and lifting. I didn’t fight it, standing as he wanted and following him into the kitchen. “Why did they starve you?” he asked as we left the family in the other room.
“They didn’t starve me the entire time. They actually fed me drugged food to begin with, but I was too smart to fall for that. Eat slow enough and our bodies burn off the drug before it can take effect. Then they realized I was never going to talk, never going to give them answers, so they started keeping the food. Mikkel gave me some bread once, but that was when he’d decided to torture me if I didn’t start talking within twenty-four hours.”
“Did he? Torture you?” Hisao asked softly, leaning over me as I tried to make a plate of food.
“No. I escaped,” I answered. “Please back off.”
“I’ve trained people to handle torture before. I could do the same for you,” he said gently. “It might prove useful.”
“No, thanks,” I said, quickly stepping away from him because he didn’t move. “Don’t be so fucking…intense, please. It’s creeping me out.”
“I’ve trained assassins as well. If you’re worried about defending the wolves, I could teach you some of the techniques—”
“Drop it,” I snapped with a snarl.
He leaned back, his hard eyes seeming distant. For a minute, I wondered if Hisao was missing something, some key piece of humanity that kept the rest of the family chained to at least some level of decency he couldn’t be bothered with. Since I highly doubted Hasan would have raised him to be this way, it had to be something he grew into over the centuries he’d been a werecat.
“I just want you to be safe,” he said finally. “And I know skills that can keep you safe because it seems you live a very dangerous life. I have a feeling it won’t get safer for you any time soon.”
“And you’re a good judge of these things?” I found that hard to believe.
“I’ve trained a variety of supernaturals, many from young ages, to do what they can do now. Three of them are Tribunal Executioners. I met all of them at their worst, trying to live lives they were wholly unequipped to handle. They never wanted to admit to me they were in over their heads, but I knew. I’ve never raised and Changed a werecat. They are my legacy. So, yes, I do think I’m a good judge of these things. Especially since every single one of them would be dead now if not for me.”
“Are you saying I’m going to die if I don’t listen to you?”
“I’m saying it’s a possibility, and I would hate for that to happen, little sister.”
That bothered me. Not the very words he said but the way he said them. There was very little emotion from him about the possibility I was going to get myself killed. Very little emotion about training the killers of the supernatural world, the Tribunal Executioners. I hadn’t met the ones who would have killed me after Dallas, something I was eternally grateful for. It was worse to find out he had trained a few of them.
“Did Hasan ask you to talk to me about this?” Even while it bothered me that he trained the ultimate killers of the supernatural world, I considered it. If Hasan wanted me to learn more, I would strongly consider taking Hisao up on the offer. My thoughts drifted to Lani, and a wave of blood red anger hit me. I imagined the ways I could kill her for her betrayal, and the things Hisao could teach me to make me dangerous enough to never be toyed with again would certainly help.
“No, and I’m certain he’s going to be angry at me later, but I call things as I see them.” He smiled, but there wasn’t any humor in it.
That made me come back to reality. I didn’t like the feelings I had just confronted.
“Well, I’m going to pass on your offer. I’m not interested in knowing any more about killing than I have already experienced.” I nodded as if that ended the conversation, then walked around him. I hadn’t passed on his offer because it made me uncomfortable to learn more ways of killing. If anything, the idea of learning more made me excited, and that was what made me turn the offer down. I wanted Mikkel’s blood in any way I could get it. I wanted to hurt Lani. I wanted to kill anyone who wanted to kill me for just trying to do the right thing.
And that made me scared of myself.
When did that reaction become my default? What the fuck ever happened to just protecting the people I care about?
He didn’t say any more as I sat down at the empty dining table and ate. When my plate was empty, he took it before I could stand and walked back with it into the kitchen. I didn’t pay him any mind, still trying to think about how tempting his offer was. It would have been useful before Washington with the vampires or Dallas with the werewolves. I wouldn’t be seen as a target anymore as the weakest, youngest member of the family.
I would be able to kill anyone who threatened me or those in my territory.
I would be known as a killer.
A small part of me was completely okay with that. The better part of me was not.
He brought the plate back out with more food and dropped it before me.
I didn’t get a chance to tell him I wasn’t hungry anymore because Hasan walked in.
“If you two are ready, we’re going to head out.”
“Yeah.” I jumped up and left my incredibly strange assassin of a brother behind, staring at the plate of food. He met us outside a moment later and stopped me from getting into the SUV beside Zuri.
“You’ll fight your hardest tonight,” he said in a whisper. “And if you aren’t up to the task, I’ll be in your territory in the coming days to teach you better.”
“Hisao,” Hasan snapped. “She’ll be fine. Go to Niko.”
“Yes, sir,” he said, walking away.
“Excuse him. He gets amped up when there’s killing to be done, and he wants all of us to be at our best no matter the situation. He takes it as his personal responsibility,” Zuri explained. “I’m certain you’ll be fine.”
“Let’s hope so,” I muttered, closing the door.
I looked back at the house as we started moving.
Heath never came down to say goodbye.
22
Chapter Twenty-Two
It was a longer drive than I remembered, but I had slept through most of it last time. For the majority of the drive,
I only thought about Heath. How he’d acted from the moment he helped me escape, then barely spoke to me at his home.
It hurt in hindsight.
I also thought about Mikkel, and what I was about to do with my werecat family, a family he wanted to see brought down a peg or several. I thought about Lani and how everything had turned sour between us.
It made me so angry.
I tried my best to make everything right, to clean up the messes I left behind. I only ever wanted to do the right thing, but apparently, that wasn’t good enough. Not for her.
I knew I would never be good enough in her mind.
That still hurt. It also pissed me off. I wanted to tear her limb from limb to ease the pain and anger in my chest.
I had one friend, and she betrayed me because I had kept my personal business a secret. Because I hadn’t wanted to live like all the other werecats. Because I didn’t see werewolves as the enemy, but saw some of them as friends.
I stewed on that until we stopped on the side of the road.
I got out without a word and began to strip, using the vehicle as cover like the rest of the family. Hasan grabbed the pack I would wear from the trunk and held it while I finished throwing my clothing into the back seat.
“Jacky, I hear you’re fast. Race?” Davor grinned from the other SUV.
“You’ll lose,” I promised and began Changing, letting it tear through my body and accepting it, riding the pain instead of fighting it. I was beginning to understand that was what made my Change so fast. The natural inclination was to fight pain, to try to ignore and stop feeling it, but I let it happen, accepting it, and it ended quickly. When I had lived apart from the family, I had a very ‘get on with it’ attitude about being a werecat and needing to Change. I really wanted to think that was what helped me in the end.
I was done before Davor and moved to knock him over, making someone else growl.