Cash said, running his hand down his face. “Long and short of it. My dad was a nut; if there was a legend or a myth, he ran from it. Step on a crack, and you will break your mothers back, yep that was how bad he was—black cats, ladders, all of it. But he was even worse with shifter history and legends. Mating was cursed in my house, and that’s why I think I latched on to Jessie so tightly.”
Jenna tensed.
“None of that, we never shared anything more than a small kiss. I think I wanted to believe she was my mate so badly, I convinced myself the attraction was something more than it was.”
“And what was that?” Jenna asked.
“Teenage hormones.”
“Yeah, those do suck, but you believed for so long. You called out to her when you were sick. Even when we connected in our dreams, you called me Jessie.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. I wish I had the magic answer to calm all your fears. All I can say is the mind is a powerful place. I had held on to the fantasy of Jessie being my mate for so long that when I felt those things for you, I assumed it was her. When I saw her that first day, none of those feelings existed. I can see her as a person I know but nothing more. Besides, when confronted with all that shit, who did I call out to?”
“Me.”
“Damn straight.”
“Okay, I think I can accept that. I won’t guarantee I’ll feel comfortable if I find the two of you alone, but I will try.”
“Babe, she is mated, so are we. Shifters do not cheat on their fated mates. It’s impossible. But I realize it will take some time for you to wrap your brilliant mind around that.”
“Brilliant, huh? I think I like the sound of that,” Jenna said, kissing Cash on the cheek. “But just like my boobs in our dream, that brilliance, sorry to disappoint you, is just a part of your imagination. I am average at best.”
“Babe, you can heal people with your hands. That is so far from average, it’s not even in the same universe.”
“Maybe but that’s not brilliant, it’s a gift, one I don’t like to use.”
“Is it really that bad?”
“Most times yes, but this last time with Jacks, not so much. I took some of him into me when I healed him, just like before, but as soon as you connected the Gemini, it was gone.”
“Yeah, we need to talk about that too. If you ever try to break our bond again, I will do more than spank you, Jenna.”
“I was trying to do the right thing. I thought that it was my fault, that you wanted to be with Jessie, that I wouldn’t be enough. Don’t you understand I wanted to give you your freedom to choose?”
“I know why you did it, but babe, I hope you know now, it was wrong.”
“I do. Okay, no more sad stuff. What do you have planned? All of it. Are we going to try to bring Gemini together? Cash, I have tried. They made me the center more than once while testing us, and it’s hard. The power was too much. I fear for you,” Jenna laughed as Cash looked taken back by her statement. “I know you’re strong, don’t get all puffed up. It’s that I have felt it, up close and personal. Hell, it put me on my ass more than once. We all tried it, Cash, no one could maintain it for longer than a couple of minutes.”
“Oh, ye of little faith. I am Alpha, hear me roar.” Cash roared, making Jenna laugh and hit his chest.
“Cash, you need to take this seriously.”
“I am, babe, and we will talk about that, but right now, I think we need to talk about Kayden.”
Jenna straightened; she hadn’t remembered Kayden bringing her to the facility or that he said she was going to save his mate. Shit, Kayden had a mate, and she had been taken. This was not good, she needed to find him, help him. Jenna started to get up, but Cash pulled her back, taking the coffee cup out of her hand and placing it on the nightstand.
“Babe, he’s gone, left the night after you healed Jacks. I’m not going to say it was pretty or lie to you and say we didn’t come to blows because that did happen. But shit, we can’t help him. Until we know how to harness this power and Jessie gives birth, there isn’t anything we can do. You have to know that. I will put Trace and Chance on it, I have even asked Jacks to help. They know Mia, love her. She is Ryleigh’s best friend, all of Alpha will do all they can to help, you have my word on that, but right now, Gemini is in a holding pattern. Can you live with that?”
Jenna didn’t know if she could. Until Cash, Kayden had always been her person. The one who she went to when things went to shit. She wanted to be there for him now, help him find his mate, but she wasn’t an operative. She was trained but still a civilian; she didn’t have anything but basic computers skills, and she would suck as a spy because she generally hated being around people.
“Chill, babe. I can see that mind of yours spinning. I will make sure any help Kayden needs, he gets. Now, we need to talk about our next step.”
“I just feel bad, I promised him I would help, and I went and…”
“He understands, babe. He might be pissed, but he understands and wouldn’t want you hurt trying to help him or his mate. Now you have a decision to make cold or colder?”
“What?” Jenna was confused, she had no idea what Cash was getting at.
“I asked you, cold or colder? Do you want to live in Alaska or Canada?”
Jenna had loved her cottage in the woods, so her answer was an easy one.
“Canada works for me, I heard that Alaska is wild and untamed.”
“Babe, so is Canada and with us there, it will be even more so. Okay, that’s done, now what do you want to do about the team?”
“Cash, do we even have a team? I mean, we can never be like Bravo or Alpha, only you, Chance, and Trace have training. The rest of us, just are, well, not normal but kind of.” Jenna said blushing.
“Babe, we really need to work on your optimism. You know more than anyone what power the Twin Warriors hold.”
“Yeah, but we can only use them short-term, hell, not even long enough to help unless we’re right there, and there are always consequences; Cash, we always go down for days, weeks, or months. Then there is the fact we can’t be in the same room, it kind of makes it uncomfortable and useless to try.”
“Listen, I’m not being a dick by saying this, but that was before I came here. I can hold the power, filter it. We, all of us, need to practice and find out what we can and cannot do. That can only happen if we are all together. Will you be okay with that? I know you like to live alone, and if that is what you truly want, then I will go back to that cottage with you and forget about all of this. The choice is yours.”
Jenna knew all the good the Twin Warriors could do if Cash was right and could harness and channel the power. She never really liked being alone but conceded that she needed to be. This was her chance at a family. She also knew Cash needed this, he was an Alpha. He needed a pack, pride, or whatever it was bears needed. She really needed to Google that. She thought bears were solitary creatures, but shifters were different. Jenna was okay with working with the others but living with them was a hard point for her, but she realized that as Alpha Cash would need this, so she nodded her head in assent. If he was willing to take all this one she was willing to feel a little uncomfortable. Just her nod made him smile. She would do anything this man asked just to see that smile every day for the rest of her life.
“Okay good, because they are waiting for us in the conference room.”
“What? Cash, I’m not even dressed. Why are they waiting? When did you set this up?”
“Last night. Now, up you go, make yourself pretty for me.” Cash kept pushing her until she got out of the bed, landing a solid smack on her ass. Startled, Jenna spun around and glared at him.
“You will pay for that, Alpha.”
“I’m sure I will in so many good ways. You liked it, I can smell it. That cinnamon-vanilla scent of yours deepened. Makes me want to eat you up and keep you in this bed for the next decade. Now, you better hurry up and get in the bathroom before I change my mind and ma
ke the team wait even longer. No telling how much trouble Chance and Trace can get into, and it will all be your fault.”
“No, it won’t, you’re the Alpha. That means everything that happens is your fault,” Jenna said, blowing him a kiss. She also put an extra swing in her hips while she walked, hoping he would decide that making the team wait a little longer was a good idea. When he didn’t take the bait, she pulled out the big guns. Looking over her shoulder, Jenna said, “I might need a little extra time.”
Cash was laying in the bed, his hands under his head, the sheet covering his lap but leaving every other inch bare to her.
“Yeah, why is that?”
“I need to take care of something before we go.”
“Jenna, you can take care of whatever it is later.”
“No, this needs to be taken care of now.”
“Babe.”
“Cash, I have this ache, and since you won't take care of it, I have to do it myself, and babe, that can be fun but…” Jenna stopped talking and turned slightly to the side, only allowing Cash to see the side of her body. Taking her hand, she ran it down her chest, watching as his breathing increased and the sheet started to make a tent in his lap. When she kept moving her hand down lower, a strong, hard hand gripped her wrist. Damn, she hadn’t even seen him move. Cash scooped her up into his arms.
“Let's see if I can take care of that ache for you.”
Chapter Twenty
Mattias sat in a chair in Kiera’s house. glaring at Declan’s back. The meeting with Cash Warren had not gone well. He could feel the anger rolling off of Declan. Normally, that would make him happy, but this time, it was messing with his plans. Cash Warren was messing with his plans.
“Quit brooding; you deserved what you got. We need to figure out our next step.”
Declan spun on him, eyes glowing fiercely with the Dragon. If he was at full strength, it might have raised Mattias hackles, but Declan was weak right now.
“Our next step is nothing. Did you feel his power? That was something neither of us ever counted on.”
“You might not have, but I did. That’s why I found Jenna. She is the only one who can control him, and I am the only one that can control her.”
“You think you can control Jenna?” Declan laughed. “Hell, where have you been the last five years? That girl isn’t controlled by anyone. We broke her trust, forcing her to heal that boy. You’re just lucky she still talks to you.”
“You forget, she loves me like a father. Tell me you can’t get Ryleigh to dance when you want something? Jenna will be no different. I just have to play my cards right to make it happen.”
“You’re an old fool, Mattias, once they mate, that’s it. Your influence diminishes just like mine did with Ryleigh. Jacks controls her now. You just have to hope she allows you into her life a little.
“We need to discuss the child,” Declan said picking up a folder and handing it to Mattias. Mattias shuffled through the pages, getting to the test results.
“That’s too bad, Jessie and Chase will have a single child. I hadn’t held much hope out for something more, both are more deemed more beta or omega than Alpha. Their child will be normal,” Mattias spat with disgust.
“I wouldn’t count on any of these children being normal. We’ll have to watch and see. Quinn and Kenna are showing signs of the beast already, it means times are changing. The next generation will be even more powerful than the last.”
“Even you have to admit a twin birth from Cash and Jenna would be extraordinary. I think it deserves some thought and consideration. They have mated, but Jenna won’t be swayed that easily. There’s still a chance I could break the bond. If she’s already pregnant, that could work in our favor.”
“Let me see,” Declan said, walking over to the bar and pouring himself a drink, taking a large gulp, savoring the burn as it went down his throat. “You felt Cash’s power, and you think it’s possible to break the bond? Are you getting senile, old friend, or hard of hearing? Were you not there when Jenna herself tried to break it? Did you not feel the magic he has hidden? I, for one, did. There will be no messing with Cash and Jenna. At least, not until the power of three is restored. If he is able to tap into the full power of the Gemini, even the three will have a problem controlling him.”
“It is not impossible.”
“Enough. Jenna and Cash are off limits, for now. Once we have the power of the three, we will revisit this. We have other matters to discuss now.”
“No, I think you are going to be busy for a while.”
Declan heard a throat clear and looked at the door. Kiera was standing there. Mattias got up and excused himself.
“Kiera, what can I do for you?”
“I want you to leave, I want all of you to leave. My facility is no longer a part of NAC, not that it ever was.”
“Kiera, you can’t be serious, NAC and I have paid for your facility. It was part of our agreement that you treat my people as I deem fit.”
“That’s the problem, as you deem fit. I am done. You have played one too many people. I have watched you over the years, Declan. Hell, I have even loved you. But I am a commodity to you, one who is no longer willing to pay the price to be in your presence.”
“Kiera, you are being dramatic and it’s beneath you.”
“No, I think I have been more than accommodating all these years, Declan. Now, I am done. Our agreement has always been a verbal one. Everything at this facility is owned by me. In my name. You wanted it that way. You needed the distance. Now, I am going to give you all the distance you want. I watched you with Jenna for years, saw what you and Mattias were doing to her, manipulating her, and I did nothing. I won’t do nothing, anymore. You need to leave.”
Declan laughed, sat down in one of the armchairs and finished his drink.
“Are you threatening me, Kiera?”
“I’m not threatening you at all, Declan,” Kiera said coming into the room and making her own drink before she turned and faced him. “I am making you a promise. Those girls are off limits, all of them.”
“Your threats hold no power, Kiera. You will toe the line just as you always have, and we are not done until I say we are done.”
“That doesn’t work for me anymore. You see, I have watched you for years, Declan, and I know you are losing your power. At first, it hurt me, and I wanted to do something to save you. I researched everything I could just to find one little kernel of hope. Do you want to know what I found?”
“Please, enlighten me, I am sure I will find it entertaining.”
“You are at the end. If you don’t find an anchor, you will die. Ryleigh did that for you until Jacks. Not finding a mate has weakened you even more. If my guess is correct, you want that anchor to be one of the children. But to do that you would have to get rid of the parents. Not something you could easily cover up. So, who will it be, Jacks and Ryleigh, Dalton and Emma, or how about Jessie and Chase? Which couple will be less missed by their teams. I would say Jessie and Chase’s child, but you connected them to Jenna and Cash now. At first, I wondered about that. You protected them from you and Mattias. So that can’t be it. So, who then, who would be your next target?” Kiera said, sitting, making herself comfortable, taking another sip of her drink, then patting her lips. “It would have to be one who would cause the most damage in this game you and Mattias have been playing, one who would hurt him more than any other. That isn’t Jenna; I believe he truly cares for her but not enough from what I heard the two of you talking about earlier. Kayden and Mia; no, that isn’t it either, neither of you lifted a finger to help him when she was taken. I always wondered why the two of you were so hard on him. But that’s for another time, well maybe if we speak after today. So, that only leaves one person I can think of, one person and his mate who will win this game. Well, two actually. Will you claim your son’s child, or will you claim Mattias’ son’s child?
“Watch it, Kiera, some things cannot be unsaid, and others can get you ki
lled. You are human, of no use to NAC or the Shifter community unless I deem it necessary. Which I have for many years, but you’re skating on thin ice with this,” Declan said, releasing his power, full force. Even in his weakened state, it would take down an Alpha, but Kiera’s eyes flashed gold as she continued to sip her drink.
“Don’t be so sure of that, Declan. I am with you and NAC because I choose to be, not because you deemed it necessary. I think it’s time for you to leave now.” Kiera got up and set her drink down. As she left the room, she allowed some of her own gift to surface, illuminating the entire room. With a flick of her wrist, she paralyzed him.
“Remember my words, Dragon. I thought I loved you, waited for you, but you have shown me how wrong I was to believe that. You want the power of three, you want control? You need to become a better person for that to happen, Declan. Because unless you transcend your petty emotion, I will never allow that to happen. Learn from this, my love.” Kiera snapped her fingers and Declan was gone, the room empty.
When she walked out the door, Mattias was standing, one foot propped up against the wall, arms over his chest, glaring at her. Kiera paid him no mind.
“You shouldn’t have done that, he is too weak, witch.”
“You left me no choice, neither of you did. Just be thankful it was Declan and not you because that could be arranged, Mattias. Stay out of Jenna’s life. Learn from Declan’s mistake, learn from your own. That dark power you covet so is destroying you, destroying all of you, making you into men who cannot follow your own rules or guides. I will not allow that to happen. Declan will learn and so will you. Now, leave my home and do not come back.”
Mattias walked away. Standing on the porch of Kiera’s house, he was determined to have the last word but hadn’t even been able to turn around when Kiera stopped him.
“Don’t bother with your threats, they do not and will not affect what is to come. I will, however, give you one piece of advice. Pray long and hard Jenna is able to find it in her heart to forgive you once everything comes out because one of her children will be the one who eventually saves you, Mattias. Remember that.
NAC & The Holly Group - Box set: Alpha Team Page 138