She’d never experienced anything like what he’d done in the prison. It was a special kind of dominance that allowed him to inspire rather than demand, to influence other shifters to do what was in the best interest of everyone.
No wonder he was such an incredible negotiator—and Silverlake was such a strong pack.
His influence had convinced her that she could control her tiger—and she had. It had turned a motley group of traumatized shifters into a temporary pack. It had saved all their lives.
She watched him sleeping, looking at his determined features and that firm, kissable mouth, loving how one lock of hair tumbled over his forehead.
She brushed it back, her fingers lingering on his face.
She loved him.
What was she going to do?
She couldn’t see how his pack would ever accept her—even if she could control her tiger. Not when they knew she’d been part of Nash’s plans to bring the pack down. Even though she’d intended to try to find a way to stop him, there was no reason for them to believe that.
She would always be a risk to them. And she couldn’t make Jesse choose between her and his pack. He loved them too much.
She didn’t know if he loved her. They had a connection, sure—a super-hot one. But that wasn’t the same as making a life together. And she didn’t want him taking her as a mate just because he felt responsible for her. She couldn’t trap him in a cage of his own, just to free herself from hers.
But she wanted this so badly—her shot at happiness. Her chance to make someone else happy. She’d never made anyone happy before, but she was overwhelmed with the urge to take away everything that made Jesse unhappy, and see him smile. See him relax. See his eyes full of love for her, and her alone.
She stroked his forehead and saw his face relax, just a little bit. He carried too much weight on his shoulders. He needed someone to have his back, to help him, to hold him when he was hurting, to let him rest from being strong. Just for a little while.
Jesse stirred and reached his hand up to her face, wrapping a strand of her hair around his fingers.
“You have the most beautiful hair,” he said.
She smiled at him. “Still high, I see.”
He gave a small smile. “Mmm. Maybe a little.” He let her hair slide through his fingers. “But you’re still beautiful.”
She snorted. “I look like I ran miles through the forest and then fought a psycho,” she said.
“Uh-uh.” Jesse stroked her hair again. “I’ll never forget the first time I saw you. You got out of that limo and walked down the driveway, and you looked like the sun was permanently shining on you. You had this glow that just drew everyone to you. I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.”
Sophia went quiet. She couldn’t speak, or she knew she’d cry.
“You still are,” he said. “Even in that dirty, stinking cell, your real self shone through. Strong. Brave. Caring. Resilient.” His hands moved through her hair again.
After a minute he said, “I’m sorry.”
Sophia frowned. “For what?” she asked.
He closed his eyes, still stroking her hair. “For not being strong enough. For not keeping you out of that cell in the first place. For making you drag me through the forest when I was supposed to be saving you. For being so weak you had to fight Volkov on your own.”
“Jesse, that’s crazy,” she said. “Nobody could have done more than you did.”
He shook his head. “You didn’t grow up with Jace, and Rafe, and Kane,” he said. “They’re like fucking superheroes. I was just the omega, tagging after them. The computer nerd. The guy who talks at people and pushes papers.”
Sophia was shocked. Was that really how he saw himself?
“That is not true,” she said.
He shrugged, his shoulder blades moving across her lap. “Yeah, it is,” he said. “That’s why Nash went for Kane, for the mating contract. You should have seen the way he looked at me in the meeting.” His voice went softer. “I mean, the way he didn’t look at me. He dismissed me in two seconds.”
Sophia grabbed Jesse’s wrist and held it. “Open your eyes,” she demanded. “Come on, Jesse, look at me.”
He sighed and opened his eyes.
“How can you be so smart and not know who you are? Jesse, you’re one of the top negotiators in the country because you connect with people. You influence them with your mind and your will. For heaven’s sake, you took a group of traumatized, batshit crazy shifters—at least half of them dominants—and turned them into a freakin’ pack with the power of your personality.”
“They wanted to escape,” Jesse said.
“And you got us out of an impossible situation. All those other shifters had been in there for weeks, if not months. None of them figured a way out of there. You did that in less than forty-eight hours.”
“Yeah,” he said. “With my nerd skills.”
“Your nerd skills are amazing. And so are you.”
Jesse closed his eyes again. “Not amazing enough for Nash to want to mate me with his daughter. Or for you to want to give up a mating contract with Kane to be with me.”
Sophia dropped her head back against the couch. “Jesse, do you want to know why Nash wanted me to mate with Kane?”
“No.”
“Because he’s isolated. He’s not one of you.”
Jesse snorted. “What, Nash felt sorry for his lack of social skills?”
Sophia fought the urge to headslap him. “Jesse, Nash could see that you’re integral to that pack. Jace may be the alpha, but in a lot of ways, you’re the one who holds them together. Kane is the outsider. Kane holds himself apart. Nash knew he’d be easier to influence, easier to cut off from the others, less likely to notice any rifts he—we—caused until it was too late.”
Jesse looked up at her and frowned. “Are you shitting me?”
“Of course not. Jesse, you have a strong influence on people. They do what you say. Mentally, you’re as strong as an alpha. Stronger.”
“Great,” Jesse closed his eyes again. “When Kane challenges me over sleeping with you, I’ll just think him to death. That’ll work.”
Sophia shook her head. Jesse thought respect was all about muscles and posturing. Nash managed to keep the Nashville pack living in awe of him, and he hadn’t fought anyone physically for over a decade. But she could tell she wasn’t getting through to Jesse. He wanted to be her hero.
He didn’t understand that he already was.
“If Kane challenges you, you’ll beat him,” she said. “And I’ll be right there watching.”
He didn’t answer, and soon after, she could tell he’d drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 21
They left the cabin just before dawn, as soon as they heard Grant’s men on the radio organizing the search.
Now they were hiking through the woods along the side of the dirt road that led to the cabin. Sophia had found a set of Jeep keys when she searched Volkov’s pockets. With any luck they’d find it hidden somewhere along the road. Jesse knew he couldn’t walk far—his leg was still stiff and swollen from the toxin. They needed a vehicle to get them out of Alexander Grant’s territory.
Luck, for once, seemed to be with them. The Jeep was hidden in the brush less than a quarter of a mile down the road. They thrust the covering aside and scrambled in.
Sophia started the engine and backed up, turning the Jeep around to head away from the cabin. As she pulled out, the faint sound of an approaching engine reached their ears.
Why the hell couldn’t their luck ever last longer than five minutes?
Jesse pulled Volkov’s pistol out of the back of his borrowed pants, wishing Volkov had the sense to bring a rifle instead of a trank gun. He’d thought they’d have more time before the searchers got this far.
“Keep your head down if you can,” he said to Sophia. “And stick to the left side of the road, so I can cover you as we pass them.”
Sophia nodded, her lips set. Jesse prayed that the oncoming vehicle contained friends instead of enemies, but he didn’t have much hope of that. Sophia had accelerated, and they were bumping along the dirt road at breakneck speed.
They rounded a curve and saw another Jeep coming straight at them, with four of Grant’s men in it. Sophia kept to the middle of the road, foot on the gas.
Bullets whined past them, and Jesse pushed Sophia’s head down. He hoped this baby had some military-issue armor plating, or they were screwed.
Sophia was still heading straight for the other Jeep, keeping a little left of center like Jesse had told her. The road was narrow, barely wide enough for two vehicles to pass—maybe not even. The other Jeep was coming right for them.
But Sophia wouldn’t back down.
Jesse raised Volkov’s pistol and started firing. The other men ducked instinctively, pulling in their weapons. Once they’d stopped shooting, he aimed for the tires, the radiator, and the driver. If he could disable the vehicle, they might be able to get by it.
But it wasn’t working. The handgun’s range was too short for accuracy, and the other Jeep just kept coming straight at them in a deadly game of chicken. Sophia was hunched over the wheel, her mouth set in a tight line. The men started shooting at them again.
They roared down the road, neither driver giving an inch. At the last second, they both tried to turn—but it was too late.
They sideswiped each other as they passed, the collision sending them both careening out of control. Jesse tried to hang on as their Jeep jolted off the dirt road toward the edge of the woods.
The other Jeep swerved and barely kept from rolling, crashing into a tree.
Sophia jerked the wheel and they slammed over a rock, tearing up the undercarriage. The Jeep coughed and the engine died.
In seconds, Jesse was out of the Jeep, shoving a fresh magazine into the handgun. Sophia dove out after him.
From the other vehicle, four dazed men were staggering out. One of them caught sight of Jesse and opened fire. Jesse shot back, winging him, and he went down.
Jesse and Sophia ducked behind the Jeep, using it for cover. Sophia had the trank gun and was aiming it at one of Grant’s men, trying to get a clear shot.
Volkov’s radio crackled to life. “Delta team! Delta team! Hostiles headed your way! The woods are crawling with shifters!”
Relief flooded through Jesse. Jace and the Silverlake pack were here. All they had to do was hold out a few more minutes.
Sophia managed to take out one of Grant’s men with the trank gun, but the other two were circling, trying to take them from either side.
“Into the forest,” Jesse said. “Back up!”
They moved back, Jesse still firing. Sophia was picking her shots, trying to maximize her few trank darts. Just a few more steps, and they’d be under cover.
“Stop right there,” said a voice behind him.
Jesse turned. Three more of Grant’s men were behind them.
Sophia shifted to tiger with a roar, leaping on the nearest enemy. Jesse lunged at one of the others, but his stiff leg made him slow, and the man swung the butt of his rifle around and slammed Jesse in his injured ribs. He felt them break, and he doubled over, unable to breathe.
The man brought the rifle around at Jesse’s head, but before it could connect there was another roar, and his attacker was lifted backwards and tossed through the air. In his place was a giant grizzly bear.
One of Grant’s men fired. The grizzly flinched slightly as it took a bullet in the shoulder, but the wound mostly seemed to piss it off. It turned and charged the shooter.
Jesse leaned against a tree trunk, cradling his side, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. A black-maned lion and the slender blond man from the prison were fighting the last of Grant’s men. The others were on the ground.
The blond man finished off his opponent and moved to Jesse, putting an arm around him to support his weight. “Come on. Can you walk?” he said.
Jesse nodded. He hoped so. “Sophia!” he called out. “Come on.”
She turned to him, tail lashing, but there was no crazy in her eyes. She moved to Jesse’s other side, pressing in close so he could lean on her for extra support. Together, the three of them moved into the woods while the lion and the bear finished the fight.
As they stumbled through the undergrowth, Jesse could hear bursts of fighting going on in the distance. “Holy hell,” he muttered. “Who brought the cavalry?”
“Your pack, I think,” the man next to him said. “There’s wolves everywhere. They’re winning, too. Got those motherfuckers on the run.”
Well, that was good news. As long as they didn’t get caught by any stragglers.
They made it to a secluded clearing under a spreading oak tree. “You should be okay here,” the man said. “The fighting is back the way we came.”
Jesse nodded. “Thank you,” he said. “That’s twice you’ve helped save my ass. If there’s anything you need—”
“We need to get the hell out of here before we get caught in the middle of this.” Flynn strode into the clearing, naked and covered in blood, with a rifle slung over each shoulder and that half-crazy grin on his face. The bear was behind him, still in grizzly form.
Flynn looked at Jesse. “We’re even.” He tossed Jesse one of the rifles. “Your people should find you soon. But I’ll leave you that just in case.”
Before Jesse could even catch his breath, they were gone.
Jesse sat with his back against the tree trunk, his ribs shooting fire through him every time he took a breath, which was getting more difficult. He hoped he hadn’t punctured a lung.
Sophia, still in tiger form, paced the clearing. He could feel her agitation and her desire to protect him. He kind of wished she’d change back, but he didn’t have the energy to coax her into it.
It was only about twenty minutes before Kane found them. He had three of Silverlake’s security team at his back, and they pulled up short when they saw the tiger.
“She’s a friend,” Jesse called out, his voice hardly more than a gasp. “And so are they, Soph,” he added, hearing her suspicious growl. “Let them help me.”
Sophia retreated to the far side of the clearing, still growling, but she didn’t object when Kane ripped open his shirt and checked his injuries.
“Shit,” Jesse gasped when Kane pressed on his broken ribs, sending white-hot agony through him. “I didn’t escape Grant just to have you kill me.”
Kane just shot him one of his unreadable looks. “He’s going to need help getting back to the vehicles,” he said shortly to his men.
A couple of them grinned at Jesse. “Good to see you, man.” They each had to touch him or grasp his shoulder, reassuring themselves he was okay.
“What’s going on?” Jesse asked. “How many of Grant’s men are still at large?”
Kane said, “Last report, we were just mopping up. Luckily, we had superior numbers. We were able to take on the search teams as well as the skeleton crew back at their headquarters.”
Jesse frowned as two of his pack brothers helped him to his feet. “Superior numbers?” he said. “They had dozens of guys.”
“Yeah, well, Nash Jenkins finally came through for us,” Kane said. “The asshole hemmed and hawed for over a day, making up his damn mind, but he threw in on our side once he knew we were going to have to search the whole damn forest for you.”
Jesse frowned. Grant had said that Nash wasn’t getting involved. Had he had a change of heart? Did he care about Sophia after all?
Or, now that rescuing them wasn’t a suicide mission, had he started to worry that Sophia would get away and spill his secrets?
“Nash refused to help until after he knew we were already free?” Jesse asked.
“He didn’t put it like that,” Kane said, a frown on his face. “But yeah. In fact, he insisted on coming out himself and heading up one of the search teams with Jace. I told him it would be more us
eful to have the alphas leading separate teams, but—”
“He’s out here somewhere with Jace?” Jesse said. His conversation with Sophia was flooding through his mind. If Nash had been counting on the Silverlake leadership being destroyed in a suicide mission, then that hope had been trashed when Jesse and Sophia escaped the prison and the battlefield moved to the woods.
But if he managed to be alone in the forest with Silverlake’s alpha, and Jace turned up dead, he could blame it on Grant’s men.
“Nash can’t be trusted,” he gasped out. “You have to warn Jace. Where are they?”
Kane studied Jesse for a few seconds, impassive, then hit his radio. “Jace, what’s your position?” he said. There was nothing but silence. “Jace? I repeat. Report location. Please respond.”
Nothing.
“He might be in a skirmish,” Kane said. “Or shifted.”
Or shot in the head by Nash. “Find him,” Jesse said. “Now.”
Kane gazed at him steadily, and then said into the radio, “All Silverlake units. Locate alpha. Report to Kane.” There was a litany of “Copy that” and “Roger, stand by” from various pack members.
Jesse looked up. “Sophia,” he said. “Can you track Nash? We have to—”
She wasn’t there.
He looked around the clearing. The tiger was nowhere to be seen.
Chapter 22
Sophia bounded through the woods in wolf form, sniffing the wind for hints of Nash’s scent. She knew in her gut that Jesse was right. Nash was an opportunist, and he never gave up on a goal once he had it in his mind.
He wanted Silverlake. And he’d adapt to circumstances as they changed, always angling for an advantage. If he got Jace alone, he was perfectly capable of murdering the alpha and passing it off as a casualty of the battle.
He’d still have Kane and Rafe to deal with—and Jesse. But with Jace dead, the pack would be that much easier to split apart.
Tiger Mate (Silverlake Shifters Book 3) Page 14