by Vella Day
She picked up her glass, took a long draw, and groaned at the rich flavor. “This is wonderful.” She returned her focus to James. “I want to help infiltrate the Changeling organization, but I don’t want to make any fatal mistakes. I’ll gladly take any suggestions.”
“Just be careful,” James said. “John Ernst is a powerful man in the organization.”
Her muscles tensed. That was good to know. “I’ll watch what I say around him.”
Jackson stood. “I appreciate you seeing us.”
She wasn’t ready to leave and looked straight at James. “May I ask you one more thing?”
James nodded. “Of course.”
She glanced over at Jackson. “I’ve been told that your wife is able to cleanse Changelings if they wish to be rid of their evil blood. What do I need to do for that to happen?”
He smiled. “In a few days, when the moon is white, have Jackson bring you to the lake. I’m sure Naliana would be happy to cleanse you.”
Her breaths came out so fast she nearly hyperventilated. “I can’t thank you enough.”
James nodded as Jackson placed a hand on her back and led her out. Oh, my goddess. She was finally going to be rid of her defective genes! That would mean she’d be free to mate.
Ainsley suddenly sobered. The only thing stopping her was Jackson. He might decide she could never be pure, no matter what Naliana did. Well, damn.
*
Jackson’s head spun. Not only did James confirm they were mates, he didn’t act as if that would be a problem. Jackson probably should have asked more questions about mating, such as once Ainsley was cleansed, would she be like every other shifter from his Clan? If that were true, then halleluiah.
From the positive way James acted toward Ainsley, she was what she professed to be—a Wendayan at heart who had the ability to shift.
“I take it you’re still up for a late night run?” he asked, finally getting it through his thick skull there was no stopping this woman from doing what she wanted. The last thing he needed was for her to go on the hunt alone and be killed.
“Absolutely.”
For the first time ever, she actually smiled at him, and boy, did that wake up his bear. Jackson quickly returned his focus to the road. “I figure we’ll park where Shamus left his vehicle and head on in from there.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“But first, I want to send the drone overhead to make sure there aren’t any surprises that might waylay our plans.”
“A drone?”
Pride filled him. He loved talking about work and how his team was good at using technology to stop the bad guys. He explained how the drone helped them find the location of the bunker in the first place.
“That’s really cool.”
He thought so too. “I was able to watch everything in real time. When the Changelings’ reinforcements arrived, I sent our men in who were standing by. We won, but we weren’t without injuries or casualties.” Fortunately, Ainsley seemed content not to ask for details.
Less than ten minutes later, Jackson escorted her into his office. The place was dark, implying Connor had wisely decided to get some rest. Never in a million years did he think he’d be escorting a partial Changeling into his office, but after James’s comments, he’d decided to trust her, and it felt good to bury his doubt.
He flicked on the lights and Ainsley looked around. “Nice place.”
His company prided themselves on their upscale digs. “Thanks. Let me get the drone set up, and then I can show you some live feed regarding where we’ll be going. Have a seat.” He pointed to the comfy lounge chair near the entrance specially put there for clients. “Can I get you some water or something?”
She held up a hand. “I’m good.”
Jackson rushed across the large room and unlocked his office. Against the back wall was a storage closet where they kept the drone. Once he retrieved it, along with his laptop, he returned.
“Come on over to the central command station,” he said as he escorted her to the front of the main room. He pulled down a screen, set his computer on the table, and then turned on the overhead projector. “Once I send out the drone, you’ll be able to see what’s happening real time. I’ll be up on the roof watching from a remote screen. It’ll take about fifteen minutes for the drone to circle and return.”
“Do you want me to stay here or join you?”
“Your choice, but it’s cold on the roof.” Having her sit next to him would be too distracting.
“I’ll enjoy the warmth here then.”
As quickly as he could, he rushed to the top of the building and set up the drone, making sure the infrared camera was loaded. He wanted to be able to see any animals or humans. By now, he was quite good at identifying landmarks in that area. Using Shamus’s rental car as a starting point, he entered the coordinates. Figuring he’d be tracing the path at some point, he’d already calculated some of the longitude and latitude points on the trail, which he plugged in now.
“Ready, drone boy?”
Jackson set the company’s new purchase on the top of the railing and then moved the lever. Up, up, and away it went. Now on autopilot, he could watch the drone do its job. The running trail had a switchback about a mile from the bunker, so he doubted Shamus would have been even close to that area, yet something told him it was near there where his cousin had died.
For the next few minutes, he watched the drone fly over mostly darkened land. Heat signatures from small animals flickered across the screen, but he didn’t detect anything large.
Like a homing pigeon, the drone returned after one full sweep. Jackson gathered up his gear and returned it to his office. When he entered the main room, Ainsley was standing close to the screen. “I can’t see the bunker,” she said without turning around.
“I didn’t fly the drone far enough. Where we’re going, it should be safe.”
She turned around, faced him, and ran her hands down her jeans. “Then let’s go.”
Chapter Ten
‡
Ainsley was so excited to look for evidence that would help lead them to Shamus’s murders that she jumped into the front seat of the truck, anxious to get on the trail. “What makes you think the Changelings don’t have a drone that can detect us coming?” she asked as soon as Jackson slid into the front seat.
“It’s possible they do have one, but they didn’t when Kip, Connor, Kalan, and Elana’s brother Sam went into the bunker.”
“Let’s hope they haven’t figured out a way to keep their perimeters safe after that attack.” Her brother had always tried to stop others from entering their compound, though he hadn’t been astute like Jackson.
Ainsley wanted to ask him more questions about his past interactions with the Changelings and what they were capable of in the States, but decided to table that discussion until after the cleansing.
The drive up the mountain brought back bad memories, and she had to work hard to push them aside. Thankfully, Jackson turned off before they reached the spot where she’d found Shamus. Tomorrow, however, when she headed up to Mr. Ernst’s home, she wouldn’t be so lucky.
Ten minutes later, he parked on the side of the road. A small wooden stake in the ground marked the beginning of trail number 503.
“If you’re not up to this, you can wait here,” he said.
She laughed at that ridiculous comment. “I’m the Changeling, remember? If we’re caught, I can always say some big bear was chasing me. I think they’ll believe me.”
Jackson chuckled and nodded. “Remind me not to cross you.”
“Smart man.” Fearing the necklace would break and scatter when she shifted, she unhooked it and placed it in the glove compartment.
Jackson kicked off his boots and unbuttoned his jacket. Oh, shit, she forgot about undressing in front of him. While she had no problem being naked in general, she hadn’t been with her fellow wolves in such a long time that she’d actually developed some modesty. Plus, if she ev
en caught sight of his cock, she couldn’t be sure how her wolf would respond.
Yes, I do know. I’d be hotter than hot for him.
“I’ll change outside.”
Before he answered—or made fun of her for being shy—she pushed open the door and rushed down the path. A slight hint of bear lingered and might have been Shamus’s scent, but she couldn’t focus on that now. If she did, she might do something stupid, like run off on her own.
Ainsley stopped about fifty feet into the forest, ducked behind a tree, and disrobed. Brr. She neatly folded her clothes then stacked three stones in front of the tree to make sure she could find her gear when she returned.
Just as she let her wolf out, Jackson’s lumbering bear came down the path. Oh, my. He was huge. While it was too dark to tell his exact coloring, his snout was lighter than the rest of his face and contrasted nicely with his body.
He spotted her and growled. She guessed that meant she should follow him. Because she could move so much faster than he could, he probably didn’t want to be left behind, which was why he led. Ainsley didn’t mind. Actually, she didn’t want to be the first one to find the spot where her dear Shamus had died.
Jackson took off down the trail. She expected him to be lumbering, but his bear was actually graceful and quite powerful. While it was chilly outside, the sky was clear, and the moon’s rays shafting through the trees made this forest rather magical. Ainsley couldn’t remember the last time she’d even gone for a run in her wolf form. Her legs were a little stiff, but the clean air helped invigorate her. As long as she could forget why she was here, she might be able to enjoy herself. She kept remembering James saying that he saw no reason why Naliana couldn’t cleanse her. That would be a dream come true and open up so many opportunities for her.
For a good twenty minutes, they loped and darted until human voices sounded, forcing Jackson to slow. The bad part about being a shifter was that in order to discuss a plan, they needed to return to their human form in order to talk, and then shift back. Her big objection, besides having the sound travel, was being naked in front of him. Stupid, perhaps, but she didn’t trust herself—or rather, she didn’t trust her wolf. It didn’t seem to matter they might be in a life and death situation, her animal knew what it wanted and was determined to taste him when the opportunity presented itself.
Stupid wolf.
Puffs of cigarette smoke floated their way and nearly made her cough. From the map, the Changeling territory wasn’t for another mile, yet here they were. Why? Up to no good, most likely.
Jackson remained frozen as if he hoped to hear what they were saying, but she couldn’t understand a word. He then held up a paw, she guessed to indicate she should stay there. He then patted his chest and motioned he’d circle behind them.
Ainsley nodded, though she had no intention of sitting idly by. As soon as Jackson’s bear was out of sight, she drew on her inner cloaking device to become invisible and was thrilled when she succeeded. After all these years of keeping that talent hidden, she’d worried she might have forgotten how to do it.
Moving as quietly as possible, she edged closer to the men. So far, she only detected two voices, but that didn’t mean there weren’t more. The tips of their cigarettes glowed brightly, leading her right to them. Dumb asses… If they hadn’t been laughing and talking so loudly, they might have recognized that one or two animal signatures were closing in on them.
If she could see them, Jackson would be able to locate them too. The question was what did he intend to do about the men? Unless they shifted and attacked, he might decide merely to scare them. It wasn’t like he could question them. Even if he did, they wouldn’t tell him squat, and they surely wouldn’t admit to killing Shamus, even if they were standing next to a pool of blood with a piece of his clothing in one of their hands.
No, most likely, Jackson would wait until these men moved on before continuing their search.
“Brother Jacob said we have to find more sardonyx,” the man with the low, gravelly voice announced. “Where the fuck are we supposed to get some? Even Brother Richard said he’d struck out in India.”
What was up with all this Brother stuff? Her Clan back home never used that title. Her ears had perked up at the mention of the sardonyx however.
“I heard some was buried in a well under Donaldson’s property. We should just dig up the place and see.”
“That’s a rumor,” the first man replied. “Besides Brother Jacob wouldn’t appreciate us going rogue.”
Ainsley was close enough now to count four men. Shit. She didn’t like the odds. Dropping down on her haunches, she waited to hear more.
“At least we won’t be bothered by that fucking bear again,” the tallest of the four said.
She stiffened, and her stomach twisted. Fucking bear? Were they referring to Shamus? Or had Jackson and Kalan been poking around? And what did bothered by really mean?
“What was that?” the first man said.
“What’s what?” another one asked as he stomped out his cigarette.
“I heard something. We don’t need anyone else snooping around.” As if they were readying for a fight, the other three stubbed out their smokes too.
“After the ranting we had to sit through, I’m in the mood for a scuffle. You up for finding our interloper and having some fun?”
“Fuck yeah.”
“Hell yes.”
“Let’s do it.”
Suddenly, all four men shifted into their wolf form, but Ainsley wasn’t sure if that made things easier or harder. The gray wolf howled and all four of them charged into the woods—straight toward Jackson. Crap. She hoped he was ready for them. Four against one would test any bear. Hell, Shamus, who’d defeated many of her clansmen hadn’t been able to handle a lot of them at once.
The hairs on her back stood up straight, and her heart beat too hard. Fear for Jackson tightened her gut. Go!
Because they had no idea she existed, she charged after them. Their growls and stomping seemed to prevent them from realizing she was closing in. With cigarette smoke on their skin, their senses wouldn’t be as sharp either.
Suddenly, a roar sounded, along with too many howls. Branches cracked, and bear paws stomped. Oh, shit. She darted down the path and nearly stumbled when she spotted all of the wolves clinging and biting Jackson.
He swatted at them, hitting his mark once or twice, but missing at other times. Unfortunately, as soon as he threw off one, another would take his place, clawing and ripping Jackson’s fur. Her heart nearly exploded at the quick devastation. Was this what had happened to Shamus?
Without thinking, she charged. The gray wolf at Jackson’s neck had to be stopped first before he succeeded in ripping out Jackson’s throat. She crawled up the side of Jackson’s leg, but she doubted he even noticed given he was fighting for his life. With a swipe of her paw, she attempted to dislodge the wolf, but he wasn’t ready to let go.
He’d be sorry. Mouth open, she lunged and clamped down hard on the weasel’s neck. This time, he released his death grip on Jackson and tumbled to the ground, taking her with him. Because he couldn’t see her, all he could do was swipe at the air. While she hated killing, she couldn’t let these wolves live. Jackson’s life would be forever in danger.
With a big inhale, she dug her teeth into the soft flesh and ripped out the wolf’s throat. Blood spurted, and the coppery liquid filled her mouth and ran down her chest. Pulse racing, she jumped back and spit. Victory mixed with the horror of the kill, but she couldn’t sit back and ponder what she’d done.
Jackson was now on his knees, wheezing. He’d killed one of the wolves and injured another, but the fourth was still attacking him, biting, growling, and clawing. She sprinted toward them then leapt up into the air, landing on Jackson’s back. From there, she had a good vantage point to attack. The dumb wolf had no idea what was coming. She launched herself at him, and the two of them went flying. They landed on the hard packed earth a few feet from the woun
ded bear. Her attacker yelped and pawed, but only one of his swipes did any damage. The cut stung, but she’d heal.
Knowing she had to finish this one off, she dug her teeth into its neck and tore out his throat too. Ainsley then sat on her haunches and watched as the wolf wiggled and jerked until he returned to his dead human form.
Jackson keeled over, his eyes glassy. Oh, no. The final wolf that Jackson had injured was on the ground, barely alive. As much as she hated to do it, leaving any witnesses wouldn’t be good. With a quick bite, she ended his life too.
With all of the attackers dead, she returned to her visible wolf form. She must look a mess with blood all over her, but right now, she wanted Jackson to see her, to know she was there to help.
His eyes flickered open, and his breathing was labored. It looked as if he’d lost a lot of blood. For a moment, she wondered if he was too dazed to recognize her as his mate, but when he didn’t swat at her, she figured he knew. She thought about shifting into her human form and suggesting he do the same because she wanted to assess the damage, but he’d heal faster as a bear.
He was bleeding from his throat, arms, legs, and stomach. As much as he needed to rest, staying there might not be smart. No telling if more Changelings would come looking for their missing comrades.
She howled then trotted down the path, hoping Jackson would recognize the need to follow. With a grunt, he leveraged himself to his feet, took a few steps then stumbled once more. Her heart cracked, but given the size difference between them, she couldn’t help carry him.
Ainsley thought about running back to the car, shifting, and then calling Kalan. She supposed he could rally the troops, but what could they do? Even if three bears arrived, they might not be able to carry Jackson back to the car if he passed out.
Shit. She returned to his side, sniffed, and then licked one of his wounds. The tang of her future mate’s blood caused a rush of anger to fill her. She bayed once more before trotting down the path, needing him to leave this dangerous area.
Jackson must have recognized what he needed to do because he lumbered onto all fours and tried once more to follow. He passed the three other dead bodies, and then very slowly worked his way down the path behind her. Jackson must have thought he was crazy because he had to believe he was the only one fighting, and yet all four wolves were now dead. Those answers, however, would have to wait.