by Lisa Kessler
He rested his forearms on the back of the truck, staring into the distance. “The day Antonio Severino brought her down on his arm, her shock was clear to Malcolm and he risked everything to slip her a note. Two nights later, she came down alone with a key.” His gaze held mine. “Malcolm kept his word and got us out. And maybe hiding your mate was him keeping his word to Sylvia.”
I stepped up to lean on the bed of the pick-up beside him, processing the information. “I bet Sylvia had no idea her husband was using Brightwood as a front to grab young women with psychic abilities for his shifter breeding program either.”
He shrugged. “I never spoke to her, but I’ll never forget the expression on her face that day. Disgust, shock…and fear. Looked to me like she didn’t realize she married a man capable of locking werewolves up like animals.”
“So she was a jaguar shifter too?”
“Yeah, her scent was definitely jaguar. She had a scar on her wrist so I assume he converted her. He talked freely about werewolves being a failure because of our Pack mentality.”
“But why wouldn’t Malcolm tell anyone?”
“That I can’t help with. I’m sure he had his reasons.” He slapped me on the back and pain sizzled through my entire body until my knees gave out. His eyes widened and he caught me around the waist before I hit the ground. “Jared? What’s wrong?”
I tried to speak, but I couldn’t form words. Black spots lingered on the edge of my vision as I pointed to my back. He held me up with one steady arm, and lifted my shirt with his free hand.
“What the hell…” He lowered my t-shirt and met my eyes. “That’s a nasty burn.”
“Yeah.” I bit back the pain as my muscle control gradually returned.
“How? It almost looked like…”
“A hand.”
He nodded.
I ground my teeth. “I’m fine. It’s healing. Jason already took a look.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
I sighed. “Taryn has a rare psychic gift. That’s why Damian wants her so bad.”
“All right…”
“She can start fires with her mind.”
Disbelief was plain in his eyes. “Come again?”
“Pyrokinesis. Look it up on the Internet.”
He pressed his lips together, glancing over his shoulder at my house. “Are you in danger here?”
“No, Dad. I actually got burned when she was trying to keep me from being arrested.”
“But if she can do this, she’s dangerous.”
My voice dropped to a low growl, a warning. “And you and I are both strong enough to kill a man with our bare hands if we had to.”
“I get it.” He rolled his shoulders back. “We’re just as dangerous.”
“She’s afraid of keeping control over her power. That’s why I haven’t told her about me and Charlie yet. The fire is triggered by heightened emotional states.”
“She still needs to know.”
“Yeah, she does.” I sighed. “Charlie wants me to wait until I can shift so she’ll believe me…” An idea crystallized in my head. I glanced at my dad. “Full moon is on Thanksgiving this year, right?”
He nodded. “We’re eating early, so she and Charlie can go home afterward, and you can come shift with the Pack, she’ll never know.”
“No, Dad, this is perfect. If they come to Thanksgiving, I can tell her and show her. You can all back me up that werewolves are real, and Lana and Sasha can protect them while we run.”
He checked over his shoulder at the house. “You think you can keep it from her for two more weeks?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “First I have to get her through new moon.” I straightened up. “Damian will be hunting.”
New moon. The jaguar shifters’ moon cycle was opposite of ours. In pitch darkness, the cat came forward, silent and deadly.
This would be the first new moon I wasn’t out patrolling. A few years back, stray jaguars killed humans in our territory, threatening to expose our existence to the community. Since then, my generation of Pack members teamed up to hunt for jaguar shifters during the moonless nights. For a while, we’d succeeded in keeping them away, but almost two years ago we lost one of our own. Gareth’s twin brother Gabe.
The only saving grace was Jason wouldn’t be on patrol without me watching his back. Since Kilani was expecting, he wasn’t about to leave her side while jaguars were in our territory. And Gareth and Nadya would be staying home to watch Malcolm and Madeline while Adam and Aren tracked their jaguar mates to keep them away from humans. Now that our Pack contained two jaguars, things had gotten complicated.
And tonight Jason and I would be out of play, too.
It left Luke and Logan on patrol. They were good fighters, both of them, but I had a bad feeling. Worse, I couldn’t discuss it with Taryn. Every day I confided in her more, and this secret was eating me up inside.
At least there was an end in sight. Two weeks to Thanksgiving, the full moon. I’d be able to tell her about werewolves being real, about me and Charlie, all the cards would be on the table.
I could make it until then.
“Jared, aren’t you going to watch the movie?”
Charlie nursed a bowl of popcorn while dragons soared on the television screen. “Be there in a sec, Buddy.”
I went in the kitchen and slid my arms around Taryn’s waist from behind, pressing a kiss just below her ear. “Can you keep Charlie company for a minute? I need to take Tank out for a bathroom break.”
She leaned back into me and nodded. “Sure.”
“Thanks, I’ll be back in soon.”
I grabbed the leash and called Tank. Usually, I just let him wander around in the yard, but not during new moon. Too risky. I pulled on my jacket and we went out front. The snow crunched under my work boots. Every star was visible up in the dark moonless sky. I took a long, slow breath. Nothing. Good.
Tank finished his business and I walked him around back, still checking for any sign of a jaguar’s scent. As I turned to head to the back door, a gust of cold wind hit my face, and with it…jaguar.
“Shit.” I hustled Tank to the house and put him inside.
“Everything okay?” Taryn looked back at me from the couch.
“Lock the doors. I’ll be back in a second.”
I didn’t mean to panic her, but I also wanted her to be safe. I went around to the garage and grabbed my sledgehammer. I wasn’t a great shot with a gun, but I was dead-on with my sledge. The jaguar would be gone before he ever reached me.
Rounding the corner, my voice dropped to a growl as I struggled to see in the darkness. “Here kitty, kitty…”
I’d been on watch duty once a month for years, but the adrenaline had never had such an impact on me. My family was in that house, and if Damian thought he was going to hurt them, he had another think coming. This wasn’t about territory, or secrecy, this was personal.
The crunch of the snow was amplified in the winter silence. My breath passed my lips in streams of fog as I ventured a few more steps into the shadows, choking up on the sledgehammer. Come on you bastard, show yourself.
A pine branch snapped to my right and I pivoted to face the threat. A shadow moved closer, devoid of light, darkness and danger stalking forward. I took a practice swing. “What are you waiting for?”
Instead of charging, the giant cat sat down and lifted his front paw, separating his toes he licked at the snow, exposing his deadly claws. I frowned. Was he goading me further away from the porch light?
His dark eyes remained on me as he groomed and waited. I wished I knew for what. Another gust of wind stung my skin right through the jacket. With the jaguar at such close range, his scent was stronger.
And familiar.
“Sebastian?”
The jaguar stood and I readied myself, but he sat again and brought his other paw to his mouth staring me down. In his animal form, he wouldn’t be able to speak or answer any of the rapid-fire questions going thro
ugh my head, but one thing was clear.
He had no intention of attacking me.
I lowered the head of the hammer onto the snow. “I don’t know why you’re here, but if you try to hurt them, I will kill you. I won’t hesitate.”
He flattened his ears with a guttural snarl.
“I’ll take that to mean we understand each other.”
I waited, for what I had no fucking clue, but I did. He didn’t make any threatening moves. My gaze didn’t falter as I picked up the sledgehammer and rested it up on my shoulder. “I’m going inside to protect my family, and I’m sending a text to that cell phone we gave you. Tomorrow you can tell me what the hell this was about.”
Part of me couldn’t believe I was going to walk away. Sebastian could have been Gabe’s killer for all I knew. If Adam had found the jaguar who took our Pack brother’s life, he hadn’t told us about it.
But right now, he wasn’t threatening a human or attacking me or my family. I was a hunter, not a murderer. Fine line, but a line nonetheless.
I backed toward the door, unwilling to turn my back on him. He never took his eyes off of me, but he didn’t come closer.
Taryn unlocked the door and I came inside, leaning the sledgehammer against the wall. Concern lined her features, but she kept her voice even. Hopefully, the movie drowned out my one-sided conversation outside from Charlie’s heightened sense of hearing.
“Is everything okay?”
I nodded. “I think so, just wanted the sledgehammer from the garage just in case.” I kissed her cheek and tried to bury my unease. “What’d I miss?”
Charlie turned around on the couch. “If you’d come sit, I could explain it.”
Taryn’s lips curved into a nervous smile. “Are you up for a movie?”
I took her hand and walked her to the sofa. We sat beside Charlie while he rattled off who was who, but all my attention was focused on the back door.
My cell phone rang, jolting me up from the couch. Morning light filtered through the windows. We’d made it. I answered, while peering down the hall. Last night, I sent Taryn and Charlie to sleep in my room while I kept watch. For now they were still sleeping.
“Yeah?”
“It’s Aren. Yesterday I found something about the purchase of the house in Tahoe for Taryn, but with new moon, I didn’t get a chance to call.”
I was wide awake now. Since talking to my Dad about Malcolm, Aren had been scouring his father’s old records for any kind of transaction that might lead us to the reason he kept Taryn a secret from his Pack.
“So what did you find?”
“A lock box key and a bill of sale and title to her house in Tahoe.” A drawer closed in the background. “You can come with me to the bank and open the box.”
“I can’t leave them unprotected with Damian still out there.”
“Sasha’s off-duty today. I can ask her to do surveillance until you get back.”
Aren’s mate, Sasha, had deadly aim with a handgun. Of our entire Pack, she was the most lethal from a distance. “That’d be great. How soon can she get here?”
“Within the hour.”
“Have her text me when she’s in place. I’ll be there.”
I put my cell in my pocket and took Tank outside. I wandered out to the tree line. Sebastian’s prints were still in the snow. He’d been here. But why?
The phone dinged. I pulled it out and found a text from…speak of the devil.
My brother does not know that I am aware of his stay in Tahoe. If he caught my scent, he would turn back rather than expose himself to me. I don’t give a damn about your safety, but I do need information about why your Alpha owed my mother a favor.
I chuckled. “You weasel.”
I quickly typed out a reply.
Next time, warning me of your intentions could save your life. We might have found something more. You keep us informed about Damian’s whereabouts, and I’ll do the same for you.
Tank and I went back inside. Taryn stood bleary-eyed in the kitchen. “Want some breakfast?”
“I’ve got to grab a shower and run to the bank, but I should be home in time for lunch.”
She glanced down the hall. “What if we hear from Damian?”
“I have a friend who’s a detective. She’s going to be keeping an eye on the place without drawing any attention until I get back.” I kissed her hair. “I won’t be gone long.”
She smiled. “Don’t forget, Charlie’s last soccer game is this afternoon.”
“I know, I’ll be back and we can all ride together.”
I pulled her into my arms, drinking in her scent. If there was any way I could take them along, I would, but we had no idea what might be in the lock box, and if it gave her more questions than answers, I didn’t want to risk upsetting her in a public place like a bank. Too much exposure.
Damian wouldn’t get by Sasha. She’d already shot that bastard once.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Taryn
Charlie and I ate breakfast in front of the television. Hearing him laugh at cartoons lifted my spirits. Jared had to meet his family at the bank this morning. He’d left me with all kinds of instructions about keeping the doors locked and calling 911 if I noticed any sign of Damian.
All things I already knew, but allowing him to tell me seemed to make him feel better, so I let him get it all out. Charlie and I had been on our own since his birth. If anyone knew how to take care of us, it was me.
My phone chimed. I glanced at the screen and smiled.
Hey Beautiful. Just checking to be sure you’re all right.
I sent a reply.
All is well. We’re watching cartoons and waiting for you to get home.
My phone chimed again.
Be back soon.
“Mom, you gotta watch this part.”
“Okay.” I set my cell aside and watched SpongeBob try to save the crabby patty recipe while Charlie howled with laughter.
Tank snoozed in the morning sun coming through the glass of the back door. It was tough to believe someone was out there looking for me. Everything seemed so normal.
As the episode ended, my cell rang. Madison’s number flashed on the screen. Weird. “I’ll be right back.”
Charlie grunted a reply, and I pressed the button on my phone as I went into the kitchen. “Madison?”
“Thank god you answered. The office is still locked and we have four open houses today. We can’t get the signs out.”
I frowned, looking out the window. “Did you call Ray?”
“Yeah. I’ve left two voicemails.”
“Okay, I’ll try his house. I’ll call you back.”
Heat licked at my stomach. Ray was never late. Something was wrong. I tried to convince myself he was just under the weather as I clicked his home number and waited.
“Hello?”
“Gail? This is Ms. Goldstone. Is Ray there?”
“No.” Her voice wobbled. “He ran out for ice cream last night and he never came home.”
The heat kicked up a notch. I focused on my breathing. “Have you called the police?”
“I did. They said he hasn’t been gone long enough yet.” She sniffled. “They don’t understand. He wouldn’t just vanish.”
“No, he wouldn’t.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Maybe the car broke down. Please let me know when you hear from him, okay?”
We hung up and I set my phone on the counter, gathering my thoughts. I had to do something. Finding Ray was probably a job for the police, but I could run up and open my office. It would only take a minute. Besides, Damian wouldn’t risk a scene in broad daylight with a crowd of witnesses.
We could let everyone in and still be back before Jared got home.
“Charlie, get your shoes on. We’ve got to go to the office really quick.”
He groaned, but the TV clicked off and he stomped toward the back bedroom. I picked up my cell and called Madison.
“Ray went out for ice cream and neve
r came back last night.”
“Oh, god.”
I rubbed my forehead. “Let’s not assume the worst. He might’ve broken down someplace without cell signal or something. I’m coming up to open the doors, but then I’ll need to leave. If I give you a key, can you lock up?”
“Yeah, I can do that.”
“Perfect. Tell everyone I’m sorry, and I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
Charlie and I got to the office without incident. I reminded myself again that Damian couldn’t grab us in the middle of the day in front of my employees, but his brother’s warning about Damian not being right psychologically kept echoing in the back of my head.
I got out of the SUV, keys in hand. Charlie came around and took my hand. Three of my real estate agents stood outside, checking their phones while they waited.
“Have you heard anything more about Ray?” Madison asked as I unlocked the door.
“Not yet.” I stepped inside and went to turn off the alarm. Only it wasn’t on. I frowned. “Did Ray lock up last night?”
She nodded. “Yeah, and I’d swear he set that. I was waiting on him to come out afterward.”
“Anyone here?” I called, feeling like an idiot in a horror movie. At least I wasn’t scantily clad in a rainstorm.
No one answered, but Bill passed by me. “Let me check it out first.”
I glanced at Madison. “The door was locked. Maybe he just forgot, or didn’t set it right.”
“Maybe.” But she didn’t look convinced.
Bill came back with an envelope in hand. “Everything looks copacetic, but I saw this on your desk, Ms. Goldstone. Thought you might want it since you’re here.”
I took it from him and smiled. “Thanks. Sorry I can’t stay. Madison will be locking up and setting the alarm.” I tugged Charlie with me toward the SUV. “See you all later. Call me if Ray shows up.”
“Will do.” Madison replied as she went into the building.
I got Charlie in the car and went around to my side. When I got in, I finally looked at the envelope. Ms. Goldstone was printed in block letters on the front. No other identifying marks. I opened the envelope and took out the single sheet of paper.