by Ally Summers
He rubbed my temples, caressing my head. “Of course, love. She’ll be here soon.”
I closed my eyes. “Thank you.”
When I awakened again Hayden was gone. I reached for the water and drank until the glass was empty. My mouth was sticky and dry. Nothing felt right. My boobs hurt. I was starving. And all I could think about was steak.
“Feeling better?”
I screeched. There was a woman sitting on the other side of the bed.
“Who are you?”
Her bright red lips formed a smile. “Daphne. Hayden said you might have some questions for me.”
“You’re the consultant?”
I felt groggy. This wasn’t how I expected my first shifter pregnancy consultation going.
“I am, dear.”
I wished there was more water. And steak. I could eat an entire porter house and filet if I could have the chef bring them. Where was Anthony when I needed him?
“And I can ask you anything about the baby? You know about jaguar cubs?”
Her large hoop earrings rattled when she nodded. “I know more than most. I have been a mid-wife to more than one hundred shifter births. It’s a remarkable experience. You may ask anything. Hayden has instructed me not to withhold anything.”
I felt the skepticism sink in. “So you’re going to tell me what Hayden wants me to hear.”
“No. I am to tell you the truth, no matter what that truth is. He was specific. He is always specific.”
“Oh.”
Daphne was older than me, but she still had youthful bright skin. I wondered how many cubs she had. I wondered where they were now. I wondered if she had witnessed anything horrific in all of those births.
“You can take your time. Would you like for me to return later?”
I shook my head. “No, please stay. But can you ask Anthony for some water.”
She rose for the door.
“And a steak,” I added. “A really big steak.”
Daphne laughed. “I see you have hungry cubs.”
My eyes widened. “Did you say cubs?”
She opened the door and whispered my request to Anthony and then returned to me.
“I am certain of it.”
“How? How is that even possible? We just met. I’m like three days pregnant.”
She laughed. “You are carrying royal jaguar shifters. Two. A boy and a girl.”
“H-how?” I fell back into the pile of pillows. I was having twins?
“I think maybe we should start at the beginning, dear. You need a little 101 on the shifter version of the birds and the bees.”
I nodded. “I think I do.”
15
Case
When my phone rang, I had it to my ear in record time. I didn’t bother to see who called. I was desperate for any information I could get.
“What do you have?” I was short.
“Case, we need you to get down here.” It was Eli.
“Where are you?” I asked.
“I’ll text the address to you. We’re down by one of the marinas. There’s a situation.”
I jumped behind the wheel of my SUV and waited for the address to pop up so I could follow the directions.
“I’ll be there in less than ten minutes.”
I hung up, pushing my foot hard on the gas pedal. My tires squealed as I hit the corners hard, careening on old streets.
I pulled up behind a row of cars and checked my rearview mirror before exiting the car. I realized I couldn’t be too careful.
I saw Eli as I moved closer to the docks. Noah and Ronan had a jaguar pinned to a piling.
“Who is this?” I nodded at the Tribe.
Eli’s arms were crossed. “He is one of the Litchfield crew.”
My heart raced. “What do you know about Cadence?” My hand flew around his neck. I could crush his windpipe with just a clutch of my fist.
“Nothing,” he lied.
Ronan and Noah wrapped his arms tighter behind his back. “Bey said she saw some unusual activity at this marina.”
“What kind of unusual activity?”
Eli stared at our enemy. “There’s a reason the trail has run cold. They aren’t using streets or roads any longer.”
“Explain,” I demanded.
“They’re traveling by boat. It’s nearly impossible for us to pick up any kind of scent with the salt in the air.” Eli’s eyes glowed emerald.
Damn it. It made sense.
I loosened my hold on the jaguar’s neck. “What’s your name?”
He shook his head. “I can’t tell you anything.”
Noah twisted his arm until I could hear the tendons stretching in the guy’s shoulder. He screamed in pain. “It’s Isiah. Isiah.”
“Isiah,” I growled. “I’m going to need for you to tell me which of these boats is yours.”
The marina was filled with different size boats. Hard-working fishing boats, ski boats, all the way to luxury house boats.
“And then I’m going to need you to tell me where you go in that boat.”
Isiah’s eyes squinted in defiance. “I won’t betray my king that way.”
“You’re willing to die for a man who’s a coward? A jag who doesn’t earn his territory, but would rather steal it? Someone who takes an innocent human captive? That’s who you follow?”
I could feel the points of my fangs protrude. I wanted to kill Isiah. He knew where Cadence was and he was using his allegiance to my enemy as an excuse to defend Litchfield’s behavior. There were no excuses for what Litchfield had done.
“Kill me,” Isiah snarled. “I don’t care.”
I chuckled. “I don’t think we’ll kill you.”
I looked at Ronan and Noah. “Dunk him.”
They flipped Isiah upside down and dropped him head first into the dark water under the pier. He gargled and his legs flailed.
“Pull him back up,” I instructed.
They stood him on the edge of the dock. He sputtered and gasped for air.
A puddle of water formed around his boots.
“Let’s try this again. Which one of these is your boat?”
He shook the water from his hair and I eyed the jags. Isiah was immediately plunged beneath the water’s surface. I let them hold him under longer this time.
“Ok, bring him up.” I waited while they pulled him from the water.
Isiah coughed, trying to grab at his knees for support. Water drained from his lips. His skin looked sallow. I didn’t think he could handle much more, but I would push him until he broke. Everyone had a breaking point.
I knew. I had been tested before. I still had the scars on my back to prove it. Captivity did something to a man. Torture bared his soul. Forced him to look at his life. Isiah would figure that out sooner or later.
He spat a mouthful of water on the pier, gasping for air.
“We can do this all night,” I explained. “Or you can tell us which one of these little boats you cruise around on.” I crossed my arms waiting for his answer.
Isiah hesitated just long enough for me to point to the water. Ronan and Noah tipped him toward the slip when he screamed.
“Stop! Just stop. I’ll tell you.”
I grinned. Every man had his breaking point.
16
Cadence
I stared at Daphne in complete disbelief. My hands rested over my belly. This was all happening too fast.
“Four months? They’ll be here in four months?”
“It does seem rather fast compared to a human pregnancy, but I’ve always looked at it as an advantage. Less time being pregnant, means you can go on to have more cubs sooner.”
“I haven’t even had these yet.” I couldn’t think about more. I suddenly felt as if I was some kind of baby factory. Case didn’t think about me that way, but Daphne might.
“You’ll have time to adjust to the idea.”
“And since they are growing at twice the rate, what do they need? What do I need to do
?”
“Basically it’s all happening at double the pace. So right now your body is a bundle of surging hormones. They are going to want to eat all the time.” She pointed to the empty plate of steak. I had eaten every bite. “Like that.”
“What else?”
“Do I really need to tell you about the hormone part?”
“What about it?” I asked.
“Sex during your pregnancy is twice the emotion. Twice the sensation. Your need to be satisfied has just doubled.”
I blushed. I could not talk to this woman about my sex life with Case.
“It’s just a fact, dear. Sex every day is standard.”
“Every day?”
“I’m sure Hayden will be a suitable companion. He satisfies all his panthers.”
My jaw dropped. “These are not his babies. I’m not sleeping with him. Ever.”
She smirked. “I’m telling you the hormones are insatiable.”
“Well, I’m not a she-panther. I can keep my pants on.” Her insinuations angered me. I wasn’t going to throw myself at Hayden. And I certainly wasn’t going to invite him into my bed.
“We’ll see on that one, dear. He’s gorgeous. He wants you. And you are going to be dying for someone to satisfy you.”
“Enough,” I snapped.
She eyed me. “Touchy about sex?”
“No. I’m touchy about you implying I’d cheat on my mate. Case and I are bonded. We’re having twins. Hayden is holding me captive. What do you not get about this scenario?”
Her eyes flickered with a green flame. I had overstepped my bounds. I needed to remember she was loyal to Hayden. And she once was a shifter. The kind who at one time in her life would have been able rip me in half with a slice of her claws. But that power ended the moment she gave birth to her first cub.
Case had explained the way cubs absorbed their mother’s shifting magic. I had so many questions about what that meant for our children. I had no magic for them to steal.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “The hormones must have heightened my emotions. I apologize.”
“It’s all right.” She settled back into the seat. “Do you wish for me to continue?”
I nodded. Daphne was the only window I had into shifter pregnancy.
“Please go on.”
“Ok, so there’s food. Moodiness. Sexual appetite. And sleep. You’ll need lots of sleep. It’s because they are growing so quickly. It takes a lot out of a powerful she-panther, but I imagine it takes even more out of a human. Sleep as much as you can. You’ll need it to stay strong.”
My eyelids were heavy at the mere mention of sleep. I wanted to curl under the covers and nap again.
“I’m afraid it wouldn’t be a good idea to see a regular physician.”
“Why not?” I didn’t like the idea of going through this pregnancy without medical supervision.
“Can you imagine what a doctor would say when they looked at an ultrasound and saw fangs and claws?”
“They have those now?”
She chuckled. “Don’t worry. They don’t come out with their claws extended. They won’t understand about shifting or changing for years. But the panther and jaguar parts of them are already under their skin. You don’t want a doctor to start asking questions.”
“But what do I do? What if something is wrong? What if I need help? Oh God, what about the birth?”
I think I felt worse than I had before Daphne started answering my questions. I was scared to death. It was too much to take in.
“It’s shifter magic, dear. Magic will get you through.”
“That’s not very comforting for someone who is non-magical.”
“But you have them now. They are your magic.”
“Hmm.” I drank more water. “Before you go, do you think you could answer one last question?”
“Of course. Anything you need. As I said, Hayden wants me to assist you. I am a loyal servant.”
I didn’t want to get into her servitude to my kidnapper. “Why doesn’t Hayden just take his own mate? Why me?”
Daphne moved more quickly than I expected. “You should get your rest. I can tell you’re tired.”
“I need to know, Daphne. My life is at stake.”
“Hayden won’t hurt you. You are safe.”
I looked at her and I could feel the tears well in my eyes. “Have you ever loved someone so much it hurt? Have you ever looked into your mate’s eyes and felt like you had finally found a completeness you didn’t even know you were looking for? Have you ever had his hand in yours and known for the first time in your life that you were home? That the man you loved was your reason to live and breathe? Because if you have then you would understand when I tell you my life is at stake. If Hayden tears me away from Case my life is over. He is my love.” The tears fell from my cheeks and splashed on the expensive sheets. “Case is the father of my children. Not Hayden.”
My tears soaked the sheets. Once they started I couldn’t stop them.
“Shh. Shh.” Daphne walked toward me, wrapping a warm arm around my shoulder. “Give it time.”
“Time?” I looked in her cold green eyes.
“In time you’ll forget Case. And the children will never know. There is no need for them to know, dear.” She patted my head. “Let me know if you have any more questions.”
I sniffed. “I think that’s all.”
She opened the door and quietly closed it behind her.
17
Case
Isiah’s wrists and ankles were tied. Ronan had added an extra gag to his mouth in case he tried to cut through the ties with his fangs. They shoved him into the small cabin. He had given me a route that took us through a series of canals. He said that Litchfield had a property at the edge of one of the canals.
That was how the jaguars had escaped through the city. They stuck to the water. No matter how many alleys or buildings we searched, we were never going to find them. They were a step ahead of us.
I don’t know how Bey picked up the scent on the harbor, but I owed her. She was an amazing scout. Dare had trained her well.
I careened the small boat through one canal after another. The only sound we could hear was the quiet puttering of the motor.
The moss hung low from the trees. We were moving farther inland and the canal narrowed. And then I spotted it. A small dock, jutting out into the water.
“Ahead,” I alerted Noah.
He and Ronan moved to the bow. “Cut the engine,” Noah mouthed over his shoulder.
I turned the key and we coasted.
“They’re on the dock.” He walked to where I was steering.
“How many?” I asked.
“At least three.”
I thought about how we should attack.
“Untie Isiah. Bring him up, but tell him what he risks if he alerts them. They need to think he’s controlling the boat.”
“Got it.” Noah ducked into the cabin. A few minutes later he shoved Isiah on deck.
The jag scowled at me.
Eli, Ronan, Noah, and I crept out of sight under the top deck while Isiah drifted toward the dock.
“Why’d you cut the engine?” someone called out over the water.
“Engine trouble,” Isiah responded.
We were floating with the current. It was strong enough to push us toward the shore. I kept my eyes on Isiah. If he tipped them off, we would lose our advantage. He’d also lose the last breath he had.
The boat rocked as it bumped up against the pilings.
“So where is she?” One of the jags asked.
Isiah pressed his lips together.
“Hayden is going to want her here too. What are you going to tell him?”
Who were they talking about? They already had Cadence. Who else could they want?
Isiah shook his head. “She was too fast.”
“I’ve heard she’s something else.”
My eyes darted back and forth. Eli nudged me. He was trying to figur
e it out too.
The jags on the dock tied off the boat, laughing and snorting. “Hayden’s going to have the hottest line of wives.”
“Why’d Maddox pass up that first one? She’s hotter than hell.”
“If she were on my list I wouldn’t have let her off the hook.”
“Doesn’t matter. She’ll belong to Hayden next.”
I couldn’t contain the snarl. They were after Dare. Bey was in danger too. All of the wives who had been on my list. Panthers I hadn’t even met.
“Was that you, Isiah?”
Before he could rat us out, we pounced, slashing and slicing our way out of the cabin.
Isiah fell to the deck, his neck bleeding with a serious gash. I hopped onto the deck, startling the three jaguars securing the vessel.
Between the four of us it wasn’t much of a fight. We were prepared. We made sure no one was left breathing by the time we walked off the pier and onto Litchfield land.
I looked over my shoulder at his clans’ lifeless bodies. I should have felt some kind of remorse. Some kind of pity or guilt. But my heart didn’t feel a thing. Cadence was somewhere here. And I had to find her.
I had to end this before these shifters tried to take anything else that belonged to me.
18
Cadence
I looked through the sheer curtains. It was dark. Hayden hadn’t asked me to join him for dinner. Instead, he’d had Anthony bring a tray to my room.
I didn’t know if it was some sort of punishment, or if he had business to attend to. I didn’t want to analyze his motives. I didn’t like that I was trying to figure out how he thought and why he did what he did.
My visit with Daphne was still troubling. I didn’t like relying on one of Hayden’s loyal servants for the most critical information of my life. The health and needs of my children. I’d always heard that motherhood bonded women, but I didn’t feel any type of kinship with her.
She seemed to enjoy my predicament. It was as if she relished my dilemma. There was no way I could pretend these babies were another man’s. I knew who their father was.