Maybe—just maybe—Jacob’s Sanctuary and the power of faith could heal Hailey. The sheer magnitude of having actual hope made Blythe catch her breath.
A normal heart. Pink-tinged skin and tons of energy. This was what she wanted for Hailey. She’d sell her soul in order to get that.
Glancing again at the man she’d heard described as everything from the right hand of God to an angel on earth, she smiled. You never knew from where help might come.
The next day, while Jacob preached, she and Hailey had a girls’ day out. They ate breakfast out, shopped, caught the newest animated movie and had a lovely early dinner at a pizza place. By the time they got back to the hotel, both of them were exhausted.
They’d barely made it to their room when someone knocked on the door. Blythe opened it to find Jacob Gideon standing in the hall, flanked by his entourage.
“Are you ready to go now?” he asked, one silver brow lifted, his expression kind and concerned.
Slowly, she nodded, her heart skipping a beat.
Giving her a half bow, he stepped aside, waving her on. “This way, please.”
She and Hailey gathered up their bags and followed one of his people outside.
He’d come in a limo—long, black and mysterious. When his driver opened the door, Jacob indicated she and Hailey should climb inside.
Clutching her daughter’s hand, Blythe only hesitated briefly before doing as he’d asked. Jacob got in after and took the seat directly opposite her, his expression calm, as though he was inwardly reflecting. His impeccably groomed silver hair matched the winter frost of his eyes.
Inside the darkly luxurious vehicle, Blythe felt uncomfortable, out of place. Jacob looked larger than life, at ease in his surroundings. Catching her eye, he flashed a reassuring smile. Rather than feeling at ease, she pressed her hand to her stomach, trying to smother her sudden doubt. Was she doing the right thing?
Inhaling deeply, she inwardly chanted her new mantra. Anything to give Hailey a chance. Anything.
The drive to the compound/ranch/whatever seemed to take forever. She’d known it would be a long ride. Afraid that she and Hailey would be subjected to hours of Jacob’s glib patter, she was pleasantly surprised when he got out a laptop computer and began working, ignoring them.
Hailey, whose only signs of her illness so far had been the bruising and a bit of breathlessness and fatigue, curled up at Blythe’s side and promptly fell asleep. Evidently she didn’t share her mother’s misgivings. This, too, gave Blythe hope. Hailey might be young, but she was a pretty good judge of character.
After three hours had passed, Blythe began to regret drinking that diet cola earlier. Determined not to draw attention to herself, she crossed her legs and tried not to squirm. Surely sooner or later Jacob would have to stop, right?
Finally, when she thought her bladder might explode, she reached over and touched his arm. She must have surprised him, because he recoiled and his lips curled in a snarl. Then, so quickly that she might have imagined it, the almost feral look vanished and the pleasant, benign fatherly figure was back.
“Yes, child?” His voice boomed, filling the small space.
Hailey stirred, whimpering.
“I need...” Blythe licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry. “That is, could we please stop so I can use the restroom?”
“Of course, of course.” Still sounding too hearty, Jacob rapped on the glass partition and ordered the driver to find a gas station or fast food place so that their guest could take care of her bodily functions.
The odd phrasing sent a prickle of alarm up Blythe’s spine. Why did he make it sound as if normal human needs were somehow beneath him?
Misgivings swamped her. Maybe, just maybe, this had been a bad idea. She shouldn’t have let herself be bulldozed. She should have insisted she take her own car and meet him there at a future date. That way, she’d have had a method of escape.
Escape. She grimaced at her own foolishness. As if she’d need that. She was going with Jacob Gideon because he’d graciously agreed to help her daughter. Without asking anything of Blythe but her time. He was a good man, a healer. If he acted a bit odd, she’d have to put that down to his lofty calling. She really needed to put her strange misgivings aside and have the necessary faith to let him do his thing.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Once they parked, she helped her little girl out of the car and stretched. Hand in hand, they hurried toward the restroom. Inside the little convenience store, Blythe bought Hailey a juice and some animal crackers. She got herself a bottle of water and, as a last minute afterthought, picked up one for Jacob and the driver, too.
Back in the car, Jacob accepted the drink and thanked her, then put the bottle aside and never even looked at it again. Blythe caught herself wondering if he had some kind of superhuman ability to withstand thirst and then giggled softly at the notion. She must be more exhausted than she’d thought.
“Do you find something about me amusing, Ms. Daphne?” He sounded deeply concerned. As she raised her head to look at him, he gave her a self-deprecating, worried smile.
“Of course not.” Guilt stabbed her. “I’m just overly tired.
He nodded. He didn’t ask her to explain and she didn’t offer. As a matter of fact, for the rest of the trip, when Jacob did raise his head from his work, he barely glanced at Blythe. Instead, he studied Hailey, his patrician features soft with compassion. Blythe appreciated his concern, and took his kindness to heart. Even while Hailey slept, Jacob continually watched her. Which Blythe supposed was only natural, since she was the one he would be healing.
Faith. Shiny and bright. She clung to that, holding her little girl close.
After sleeping for several hours, Hailey stirred and woke, one pale cheek red where she’d been sleeping on it. “Mama, are we there yet?” she asked, shifting her tiny body restlessly, trying to kick at nothing.
“Not yet, honey.” Blythe did her best to soothe her daughter. From past experience, unless she could divert Hailey with food, something to drink and entertainment—whether a toy or television—Hailey would begin to act out.
Since Blythe had only juice, she knew it would be rough going. Once or twice, she looked up from her efforts to keep Hailey occupied to find Jacob watching, a sympathetic expression on his face.
The last few hours of the drive began to feel like torture. Bored and whiny, Hailey appeared to be trying her best to ruffle the older man’s feathers while Blythe caught herself holding her breath. Blythe wondered if a man like Jacob would have patience for an exhausted, cranky five-year-old.
To her surprise, he did. To Blythe’s relief, Jacob appeared indulgent, long-suffering and patient. As he answered her daughter’s nonstop, rapid-fire questions, she began to relax the tiniest bit, allowing herself to feel a warm, fuzzy glow. Maybe, just maybe, all her worries had been for nothing.
“Don’t worry,” Jacob said, directing the comment at Blythe as he handed Hailey a pad of paper and a pen so she could draw. “There are many small children in my congregation.”
Then Jacob smiled at her. Blythe found herself smiling right back. That was one thing. Ever since she’d purposely wandered into one of his mega services, she’d liked him. Even though he wasn’t Pack—a Shape-shifter like her and Hailey—she hoped and prayed and believed he’d be able to help her Halfling daughter with the faulty heart.
Finally, Hailey dozed off, giving both Blythe and Jacob a rest.
After what felt like an eternity, they arrived at Jacob’s compound—Sanctuary, she reminded herself—well after dark. Huge gates, which must have been modeled after someone’s idea of the biblical gates to heaven, blocked their way. They were lit up by floodlights and when the driver punched a code into a box, the gates swung open slowly.
“We’re here,” Jacob boomed, once again waking Hailey, who began to sniffle.
“Shh, sweetheart. We’re at the ranch,” Blythe soothed.
At the word ranch, the fi
ve-year-old’s eyes opened wide. “With horses and cows and cowboys?” she asked. “Will I get to see them?”
Jacob made a sound low in his throat. Both Blythe and Hailey looked at him, waiting for an answer.
“You’re in the West Texas desert, child,” he finally said, his voice calm although a bit condescending. “It’s summer, you know. So hot that we can barely go outside.”
Hailey squinted up at him. “No horses or cows?”
“No. You won’t be seeing any livestock here.”
His door opened, the driver standing woodenly at attention. Jacob glanced at Blythe. The icy flatness of his gaze surprised her, especially after all the warmth he’d shown during the ride. “My people will tend to you and your child. I will see you again tomorrow morning.”
Without waiting for her answer, he climbed from the car and back stiff, head up, he strode away. He didn’t look back. Then he was gone. Just like that.
* * *
Lucas didn’t sleep well. That night for the first time in a decade or more, the old nightmares returned with hurricane force, as if they’d never left. He woke aching, hurting as though he’d just been beaten. Though his body still bore numerous scars from that time, he’d trained himself not to see them at all. He didn’t allow himself to relive the beatings and the torture.
Thus far, his method of self-hypnosis had worked. Avoidance enabled him to try and forget, to move forward with his life, even if doing so meant he had to steer clear of facing up to his past.
Until today. Hearing that man’s voice again—Jacob Gideon’s—had brought the past rushing right back at him. And realizing the woman and her daughter were in danger had awakened some primal instinct he’d long since forgotten he’d ever possessed.
Apparently, facing up to his past meant making retribution. He hadn’t been able to save his sister. But maybe, just maybe, saving Jacob’s newest victims might help patch that jagged scar in his soul.
So he found himself awake at first dawn. Shaky from lack of sleep and still seething with a peculiar sort of fury, he pushed himself out of bed and began to plan his trip. A journey back to his own personal hell.
He had a choice, he knew. He could turn his back, as he once had for the sake of his own sanity. He could remain here in Seattle or retreat to his mountain cabin up high in the Colorado woods, and pretend he wasn’t worried about the beautiful Shifter woman and her little girl’s fate.
That would be both a lie and cowardly. Whatever else he might be, he was not that. After suffering tremendous guilt from failing to save Lilly, fifteen-year-old Lucas had managed to escape Jacob’s long arm. He’d run away, far, far away from the monster who’d raised him. Now the time had finally come to go back and confront the beast.
No longer a child, he had to stand up, not only for himself, but for the helpless child or—God help him—the woman Jacob might at this moment be setting up for torture.
Confronting his past. He gave a bitter laugh, though there was no one to hear him. This wasn’t what he’d imagined when he’d stood on his mountain gazing at the moon and made his promise.
Part of him refused to believe he was actually going back. Once, he’d sworn he would never return. He’d moved as far away as he could—in both climate and attitude. As a teen on the run, he’d learned how to live among Seattle’s active underground. With a change of hair and name, no one had connected him.
In the years since, he’d grown up, moved on and made a life of his own. After going to work for a custom-home builder as a teen, he’d discovered he had a knack for installing tile, and parlayed that into a successful flooring business.
It would run just fine if he took a few weeks off. His employees all knew he was due for a vacation anyway. Ever since buying his mountain cabin, he’d managed periodic escapes, reveling in the solitude.
Though the thought of entering the state of Texas made his stomach clench, Lucas mapped out the route in his head, since he knew the directions by heart.
Now he just needed a plan. After all, he couldn’t simply show up at Sanctuary and demand that the woman and her daughter leave with him. First off, Jacob would want to capture him, too. Even if Lucas managed to avoid Jacob and bluff his way in, he’d never get within ten feet of Jacob’s newest prizes.
Grimly, he considered his options. He’d come up with something. After all, he was facing a long drive. Either he’d figure out some kind of plan, or he’d have to wing it.
He blinked, once again assaulted by the image of his sister’s beaten, lifeless body. Not having a plan didn’t end up well where Jacob was concerned. Lucas had failed once. He would not fail again. This time, if anyone was going to die, it would be Jacob.
Chapter 2
Though it was dark, the main house of Jacob Gideon’s ranch was well lit, lined with soft, flattering floodlights that looked less like a prison’s than tastefully done architectural highlights. The building, a series of interesting curves and angles, appeared to be made of a soft golden-colored stucco that blended with the desert landscape. Blythe hadn’t expected to find it so warm and welcoming. She’d thought it might be more austere, like a convent or a monastery.
Groggy and out of sorts, Hailey refused to walk, so Blythe carried her. She could do this since her daughter had such a slight body. Hailey wasn’t anywhere near the size of a normal five-year-old girl, a fact that pained Blythe. Once Jacob healed her, then surely Hailey would bloom and grow.
The woman who led Blythe and Hailey to their room was soft-spoken and seemed kind. She appeared fairly young and, to Blythe’s curious eye, normal. No long, prairie-type skirt or pale, downtrodden expression. Instead, she spoke in a quiet, East Coast accented voice as she explained a little about life at Sanctuary.
“You both are honored visitors here,” she said, smiling as Hailey tried to disappear by hiding her face behind Blythe’s neck. “And though your room might seem small and plain, I promise you it will be comfortable. We don’t go much for luxuries at Sanctuary.”
Trying not to show her exhaustion, Blythe nodded. “We just need showers and a good night’s rest.”
“No problem,” the woman said. “I’m Ginger, by the way. Is it all right if I call you Blythe?”
“Of course.” From somewhere, Blythe dredged up a smile.
They traveled down a long, dimly lit hall. Keeping with the building’s exterior, the glazed terra-cotta flooring and Spanish-style decorations brought to mind an upscale hotel rather than a ranch house or, as some had claimed, a cult headquarters where women were kept prisoner.
Maybe it was the exhaustion, but Blythe relaxed somewhat as they took an elevator to the second floor.
“Here we are.” Stopping in front of a door marked with a large number seven, Ginger unlocked it and pushed it open.
Wearily, Blythe trudged past her, still carrying her exhausted daughter. The room was small, but looked clean. There was a double bed, a nightstand, one chair and a dresser. She placed Hailey, who had nearly drifted back to sleep, on the bed and turned to inspect the rest of it. There wasn’t much more. A doorway led to an equally spartan bathroom.
“There you go,” Ginger said brightly. “You’ll find a supply of clothing and undergarments in the dresser, as well as pajamas.”
Blythe frowned. While Jacob had said they didn’t need to bring anything, she’d anticipated making a stop along the way to purchase a few clothing items.
Taking a step forward, she opened the top drawer. Inside, she found several neatly folded T-shirts and pairs of jeans, all in her size. In the drawer below were similar things for Hailey, again in the right size.
“Everything you need,” Ginger said.
“How’d you know the size?” Blythe blurted out, not sure whether to be amazed or creeped out.
Ginger shrugged. “Mr. Gideon is a good guesser.”
“But—”
Stifling a yawn, Ginger ratcheted her smile up a notch. “If you don’t mind, Jacob would like to meet with you before you rest for t
he night.” She glanced at Hailey, who, with her sagging eyelids and drowsy expression, was clearly exhausted. “I’d be happy to stay here with your daughter if you’d like.”
Blythe frowned. This was odd, considering she’d just spent several hours with Jacob in the limo. After a moment of hesitation, Blythe tried to stall. “Do you think it can wait until the morning?”
“Oh, I don’t think so.” Her smile was sweet. “We generally don’t refuse Jacob when he asks for something. But don’t worry. He won’t meet with you for long. I promise I’ll take good care of your little one while you’re gone.”
Though no doubt the woman meant well, a shiver of warning skittered across Blythe’s spine. They generally didn’t refuse Jacob when he asked for something? What the heck did that mean?
“No.” Reaching a decision, Blythe spoke in a sweet voice, though firmly. “I’d rather take her with me.”
“Really?” Ginger cocked her head. “That’s hardly fair to her, is it? Look how sleepy that poor baby is.”
“Hailey,” Blythe said, pushing back mild panic and hating the way she felt out of control. “Her name is Hailey.”
Ginger acknowledged the introduction with a shy dip of her chin. “Of course. And I do think it’d be best if we let her rest. Just one moment. I’ll have someone else come and take you to Jacob.”
She removed a walkie-talkie from her belt and spoke a few words into it. “There we are. Savannah will be here shortly.”
Struggling not to let exhaustion claim her, which was no doubt why she’d overreacted, Blythe nodded. “Have you been here long?” she asked.
Immediately, Ginger’s friendly smile vanished. “Excuse me a second,” she said, ducking out into the hallway without answering.
Surprised, Blythe didn’t move. Was there some rule about asking personal questions? That would not only be weird, but more cultlike than she cared for. When this Savannah person arrived, she’d ask her the same thing and see if she got a similar reaction.
The Lost Wolf's Destiny (The Pack) Page 2