by Sydney Addae
“No one knows who challenged Nikolas, only that no blows were exchanged and he died quickly,” Angus said. “When you add that to what Silas just said it makes a lot of sense. There are other players involved that we don’t know about.”
Silas met her gaze. “I do think your weird feelings may mean something. We need to talk to Grandfather about this.”
“We?” Jasmine squeaked. The last thing she wanted was to spend her last night in paradise in a conversation with Grandfather.
“Yes. It’s your idea and you’re of his blood as well,” Silas said with a hint of humor in his gaze. “I’ve noticed how you only mention the connection to harass me.”
Since he spoke the truth, she didn’t challenge him on the statement. “You can tell him just as well.”
“Tell me what?” Grandfather asked materializing near the pool. He looked at them over his shoulder and turned to face the ocean. “Truly magnificent.”
Jasmine tried to stand and Silas held her close. “Stay with me,” he said.
“I’d be more comfortable having a conversation sitting in a chair,” she said.
“It might encourage him to stay longer. We’ll tell him what happened tonight and your thoughts, hopefully, he’ll leave and go do some research. It’s not like he needs to sleep or anything.” He nipped her earlobe. There’s a few things I plan to do with you all night without interruptions,” Silas said.
The deep timbre of his voice sent shivers down her spine.
Angus shared what happened earlier that night in Panama with Grandfather.
“They had what?” the old man whipped around, his eyes blazing emerald fire.
“A device that temporarily held full-bloods immobile. I couldn’t move. It didn’t hurt, there was no pain, but I couldn’t move,” Angus said.
“Were you aware of everything going on around you?” Grandfather asked moving closer to them.
“Oh yes, I saw and heard everything,” Angus said.
“When did you learn your abilities extended to humans?” Grandfather turned and spoke to Jasmine.
“When it happened. I didn’t think. I reacted and it happened,” she said.
“And Lucian? How did he handle this?” Grandfather asked.
Angus continued explaining the rest of their evening. “When we left Solo’s Compound, Lucian and his Alphas were engaged in finding the renegade full-bloods.”
No one spoke for a few moments.
Grandfather’s eyes returned to their evergreen color. “What is it you question about all of this?”
“Well, I had a strange thought,” Jasmine said, almost embarrassed to share something she hadn’t taken seriously. As she spoke, the old man’s face tightened, and his eyes glistened. He hadn’t gone full blaze on her, thank God, but she sensed he was close.
“We were thinking it’s all connected.” Silas picked up where Jasmine left off and shared the rest of their theories on Nikolas and Konstantin’s death.
“That’s it,” Grandfather said, animated. “The missing link. Now we know exactly where to look. Who was Yorick’s mentor or family?” He stared at Silas.
“Yorick?” Jasmine asked.
“The man Konstantin killed that day. You’re right, as a part of the aristocracy, no one could go against Konstantin. But once Bazla died, they exacted vengeance against Konstantin by killing his life source, Nikolas. I missed that.” Grandfather looked at Jasmine. “There’s no question you’re of my seed and blood.”
Jasmine’s cheeks warmed beneath his praise. In her opinion, it was a matter of connecting dots. There were too many coincidences to ignore, but she remained quiet on that score.
“You think one of Yorick’s people are involved?” Angus asked.
Grandfather waved aside the question. “No. That’s not how it would work. Bazla belonged to Nikolas from the moment he saved her life. They had a good relationship and protected each other. Life wasn’t kind to those who dabbled in the occult back then. Yorick served someone, that person sent him to spy on Bazla and Nikolas that day, possibly executed a counter-spell through Yorick.” Grandfather rubbed his chin as he stared at the ground. “We missed someone. Someone important.”
“Another Lord like Konstantin?” Shyla asked.
“Possibly. During that time, it was fashionable to have your own spell-casters,” Grandfather said.
“Is it possible that whoever owned or sent Yorick to the meadow that day still lives?” Silas asked.
“Doubtful if they were human,” Grandfather said with a sardonic grin.
“What if they were in a similar relationship as Konstantin and Nikolas?” Jasmine asked.
No one spoke.
“He would live as long as the full-blood was alive, right?” Jasmine pressed.
“Yes,” Silas said slowly.
“Well, what if that’s what’s going on here? Is that possible?” Jasmine asked.
“Yes, grandchild of mine, it’s highly possible and probable,” Grandfather said with a troubled look.
“Wouldn’t you know if there was an alliance?” Silas asked Grandfather.
“Not necessarily. There are Clansmen who pre-date me.”
“Were we all at the meeting?” Angus asked.
“Most were,” Grandfather said slowly.
“I thought you said it was a mandatory meeting and my wolf would drag me there if I refused to come, or something along that line,” Silas said, sounding pissed.
“That’s true... for you and the others,” Grandfather said, as he pulled out a chair and sat.
Jasmine pushed against Silas’ chest and sat up. “What’s the worst that can happen?”
Grandfather looked at her for several moments. “Everyone will die.”
Immediately she shook her head. “Not an option so we find them first.”
“We’ve grown sloppy, arrogant over the years. Our Clan has the reputation as being the best of the best and we didn’t see the weeds choking our garden,” Grandfather said.
Jasmine had no interest or patience with the “woe is us” stuff. She refused to consider losing all her children, her husband, family, and friends. “Obviously Yorick’s master wasn’t connected to him in the same manner of Konstantin and Nikolas, which means there was someone else.” She looked at Silas. “Were you there during this time?”
He shook his head. “No, I was here in this country.” He looked at Angus. “We need to know if any other full-bloods connected with humans in that manner. How do we go about that?”
“That happened in Amynta and Barticus’ back yard. Start with them. If they don’t know of the actual connections, they may know the most likely candidates,” Angus said, sitting up. “Also, we need to know if there was a rivalry between mages or mentors during that time. Yorick might’ve acted on his own out of jealousy.”
“Yorick was jealous of Bazla, she was treated better than most Mages during that time,” Grandfather said.
“I thought Yorick might’ve killed Nikolas, but he couldn’t have,” Silas said. “However, we don’t know if Yorick acted on his own or for his master during the ritual. Here’s another thing, what if there’s been a silent attack against BlackWolves all this time?”
No one spoke.
Jasmine stood and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Here’s what we know about this situation. Rafe Alvarez hired Dr. Housman to work on a device to control full-bloods. Dr. Housman knew and believed full-bloods were a reality. Which means someone convinced him. As a man of science, I’d say he saw a full-blood shift.” She looked at Silas.
“Sounds right. Lucian and his men are going after Rafe tonight.”
“We need to interview Rafe,” Angus said, standing.
“You don’t think Lucian and his team will get the names of the rogues?” Grandfather asked, standing.
“I’m not sure they’ll ask the right questions. Lucian can smell a lie, so can the others but if you’re not asking the right questions, we won’t get the right answers,” Silas said.
>
“Tell him so he can ask the right questions,” Grandfather said. “He needs to do this on his own without you.”
“I know he does but my men are at risk and I can’t take the chance of not getting everything I need to save them,” Silas said as he stood.
“What are you talking about?” Grandfather asked.
“Razor and Storm are locked in cells in the basement of my Compound for their own protection. Whatever is happening against our Clan isn’t being patient or kind to them. Razor is unstable, flipping back and forth, hot to cold, calm to volatile. Storm isn’t far behind. I cannot allow someone else to be responsible for gaining information that’ll help them.” He looked at Grandfather. “Storm is my son.”
“And my grandson,” the old man snapped, clearly rattled by the news. “No one told me. No one tells me of these things.” He rubbed his forehead, took a deep breath and spoke. “Listen. I understand what you’re saying. However, the Goddess is watching Lucian close right now. He’s been given a huge task and must prove himself. Can you merge with him or something when the time comes to ask the human questions? That way you’re assured to have the information you need.”
Silas thought about it. “Was Lucian informed of the problems facing our Clan?”
“No. He’s younger, still, as Alpha over the continent, he would’ve been involved if he wasn’t in the midst of pulling all his lands together beneath his banner. The Goddess does not want him distracted.”
“He’s going to know something is off when I contact him and ask to listen in,” Silas said.
“In that case, go after the man yourself. Let Lucian do what he needs to do to fix his problems and you deal with Clan problems separately,” Grandfather said. “When you think about it, that’s the better idea anyway. You’ll be looking for a human with a connection to a full-blood and should be able to detect a scent.”
“Aren’t you concerned Lucian can be blindsided by all of that? What if the human he’s going after is linked to a full-blood? A much older, experienced, full-blood?” Angus asked. “What if he loses Pack? Or resources?”
“That’s a part of being an Alpha over Alphas,” Grandfather said although it was obvious Angus’ comments bothered him.
“We can’t talk to Rafe while Lucian has him. It’s possible he won’t release him,” Silas said. “Plus, we’re flying home tomorrow.
Grandfather shrugged. “Jasmine already connected the dots. You have to talk to this human to track the wolf. You won’t leave Panama until you do.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
SILAS TOOK JASMINE’S hand as Grandfather disappeared.
“He’s right you know,” Jasmine said grinning at him.
“Now you see where Angus gets his arrogance from,” Silas said as he wrapped his arm around her.
Angus and Shyla laughed.
“What? It’s true. You’ve known him a lot longer than I have,” Silas teased.
“Which only means your arrogance is natural,” Jasmine said looking at Shyla. “Did you see how he played those Detectives? The looks he gave them?”
“Priceless,” Shyla said grinning wide. “But nothing compared to when he stole their thunder by taking them to the hole in the ground. They looked like lost babes. Gotta hand it to you; that was played to perfection. From that point on they were trying to play catch up and couldn’t.”
Silas and Angus laughed.
“He’s a natural,” Jasmine said.
Silas pulled her toward the door and placed his hand in the small of her back. “You... come with me.” He picked her up and twirled her around. “Is that how you show respect to your mate? Teasing him? Calling him arrogant?”
Laughing, she wrapped her arm around his neck. “Who was teasing? You are arrogant.”
He dipped low.
She squeaked and held on tighter as he walked out the front door onto the porch. “Only to some, Sweet Bitch. I’m never arrogant with you. You broke me of that years ago.” He continued walking through the trees.
She closed her eyes as the cool breeze kissed her cheeks and ruffled her hair. When he stopped she opened her eyes and looked around. On the ground, hidden beneath and between three Palm Trees, lay a thick comforter from the closet, pillows, a cooler and a candle in a jar.
Grinning as he put her down she looked around the isolated area before meeting his expectant gaze. “When did you set this up? That candle is almost burned out.” She pointed to the flickering flame as she took his hand.
“While you were on the deck. I wanted to give you a special night.” He kissed the back of her hand. “I know this week didn’t go the way we planned.” He shook his head and inhaled. “All the interruptions and then the thing with our Clan messed up the flow of us simply being together which was all we both wanted.”
Her heart melted into a puddle of goo.
“Tonight is for you. I want to love you beneath the stars, so the moon and all of nature bears witness to how I feel about you. You are my everything, Jasmine. I don’t think words can truly express my heart but I’ll try.” He pulled her close and brushed his lips against hers. When they broke apart, he held her close and rocked her gently from side to side.
At peace, Jasmine relaxed into his embrace and inhaled his scent, allowing it to fill every nook and cranny of her soul.
Silas started humming.
Jasmine’s eyes flew open and she missed a step. Her husband never sang or hummed. Would he sing to her tonight? No. Maybe. She listened carefully trying to identify the song or lullaby and couldn’t. He leaned back, took her hand and spun her around.
Too shocked to speak, Jasmine completed the turn and tried to look into his face but couldn’t. He pulled her close again and continued rocking her from side to side.
They were dancing!
Silas had initiated dancing with her and provided his own music. With that realization her heartbeat took flight. Butterflies fluttered in her belly as joy slowly replaced shock. The next time he spun her around, she went willingly into the turn and added a little flourish with her hands as he pulled her close again. He changed tunes and she wished she knew where he got the music from as he picked up the pace, spun her around and dipped her low.
When she looked up at him, his beast peaked from behind his eyes as he smiled with genuine happiness.
“Silas, this is... this is great,” she complimented him as he continued holding her close and moving.
“Surprised you, didn’t I?” He sounded like a small kid seeking praise.
“Yes. I had no idea you could hum.”
He laughed. “Trust me, it’s better than me singing what’s in my head. That would totally ruin the mood.”
She placed her hand on his chest and met his shadowed gaze. “Wolfie, believe me, there’s nothing you could do to mess this up. I... I’m so touched that you did all of this just to make our last night special.”
He pulled her close and kissed her hard, robbing her of air. They broke apart on a gasp. He stepped back and placed his hand on her shoulder. Moments later her sundress lay on the sand next to the comforter.
He kneeled down and removed her sandals, one at a time. Instead of standing, he pulled her close with his face at the juncture of her thighs and inhaled deeply.
Jasmine placed her hand on the back of his head and stroked him gently.
He nipped her through her thong and held her close when she jerked backward.
“Silas,” she whispered, needing him in ways she couldn’t explain.
Rather than answer, he gathered the thin fabric of her thong with his teeth, extended his canines and ripped them in several places until the top separated from the bottom leaving her exposed.
“I would’ve taken them off,” she said breathless by his actions.
He licked her mound and pushed her legs wider apart as he moved further between her legs.
Jasmine leaned forward and held on to his shoulders for a short while until he tumbled her over onto the comforter.
&nb
sp; Before she could say anything, he continued his sensual assault, licking and kissing and stoking her need to a fevered pitch. Trembling, she grabbed his shoulders either to pull him up or keep him right where he was, she wasn’t sure. As his mouth fully covered her, she lifted slightly and moaned at the delightful sensations racing through her. When he bit down lightly, she shivered. As his fingers entered her, she released a breath in hope that she’d soon find release.
“Mmmm.” His groan vibrated to her core.
Shaking she moved her hips against his mouth, loving the way his tongue and fingers rhythmically stroked her.
“Silas,” she moaned as she moved faster against his mouth.
While his fingers imitated the movements his dick would fulfill soon, he teased her clit with his tongue driving her wild.
“Silas!” she yelled and shook wildly as she rose higher and flew apart calling his name. Chest heaving, she fought to breathe and was barely aware of him licking her gently.
“You always taste so good,” he murmured in a raspy voice.
Her greedy libido leapt at the sound of his beast being close to the surface as he climbed over her in that loose-limbed way of his whenever his beast rode him hard. Seeing his beast in his gaze sent sizzling heat through her.
“Mine,” he said in that same raspy, guttural tone.
She placed her arms around his neck, pulled him down in one hard move and just before she kissed him, she spoke. “Mine.”
The kiss wasn’t gentle.
This close to the edge she didn’t expect gentle. No, this would be an old fashioned claiming. His beast needed to reassert their connection and that was fine with her. Midnight had passed a couple hours ago. She would sleep on the plane because neither of them would get much rest this night.