“Thank you.” Noah nodded at her and turned back to Ghost.
“Okay. You’re both packed?”
Noah and Jade both nodded. Noah didn’t need to know that she packed him extra provisions.
“Then we’ll see you off at sunrise.”
As Ghost ended the meeting, Silas flew out of nowhere and landed in Xander’s arms. He smiled at Xander, knowing his daddy wouldn’t be mad at him, even though he hadn’t stayed upstairs. He hugged Xander and his mom, before he hopped down and climbed onto Noah’s lap.
Jade smiled into her hand when Noah wrapped Silas close and they started a conversation that only the two of them could hear. She loved that Noah had accepted her family so easily, but as she watched Noah and Silas’s faces light up as the conversation continued, Jade wished that in time, she could get through Noah’s wall and truly connect with him.
Chapter Four
Noah
Noah and Jade had been trekking through the woods for a couple of hours. They drove down from Snowfall, leaving at dawn, and arrived at the outskirts of Crested Butte a little before nine. Noah was used to long expeditions, albeit not through the snow, but at least he could admit he enjoyed the cold much more than the desert heat.
He learned the hard way how much Jade hated mornings, and she hadn’t put up a fight when he offered to drive her Land Rover. Noah, despite being out of the Navy for close to six months, hadn’t stopped getting up at daybreak. He needed about five hours of sleep to be functional, but the way Jade mumbled whenever he took a corner too fast, she loved sleeping in.
Over the past few days, Noah had changed his mind completely about the assassins and especially Jade. The group had shown him nothing but kindness and like in BUD/S, he knew that they pushed him as hard as they did because their lives were at stake. He didn’t mind the extra training and although he was far from out of shape, his stint with the assassins had honed muscles and improved his reaction time.
During quiet moments, usually late at night or early in the morning, his thoughts would revert back to Jade. Liv had shown him some pictures of her with her natural red hair and he was mesmerized. The red brought out the freckles sprinkled along her cheeks and although he already thought her beautiful, he could see the red fit her perfectly and he wanted to see for himself what she looked like with it back to her natural color. But nothing could detract from her natural beauty.
Noah had spoken to all of the assassins and while they started off with combat techniques, they inevitably turned to the mates of the immortals. None of them had fought the truth when they learned they were mates, but Liv thought Kai didn’t want her, Ara worried she brought danger to Reaper and the rest of the assassins, Aubrey didn’t want to hurt Seth but in the end realized they all realized they couldn’t live without their mates. Frost was the odd one out, she felt the connection with Xander the moment she laid eyes on him.
Noah could tell how much they complemented each other. Kai was quiet and brooding while Liv was bubbly and friendly, but it was obvious how much they loved each other. Reaper and Ara were both quiet, but they were similar in intensity. Seth and Aubrey couldn’t stand to be out of sight of each other, while Xander and Frost sought each other out and worried about the same things, mostly about Silas. But none of them felt smothered or doubted their feelings for one another because the immortals had mates, unlike humans who don’t.
Noah fought his attraction from the moment he met her, but he also ignored his instincts, those that kept him alive in more than one situation. But after Sam had died and what he knew of the immortals before he’d met the assassins had built his distrust until he’d taken it out on Jade. He had gotten used to listening to his gut because it had never let him down. But he rebelled against every truth that had been laid out before him, and as they walked through another copse of trees, guilt swamped him and he felt the need to apologize.
He wanted to try their mind link because if it was successful, it would be the final truth that solidified the foundation of who he was to Jade.
Concentrating on his words, he pictured Jade before he spoke. I’m sorry.
Jade gasped and he knew in that moment, he’d accepted his destiny.
I allowed myself to become prejudiced against all immortals after Sam died. But as I got to know you and your family, I realize now how wrong I was.
Jade’s voice came back as clear as if she were in front of him. Losing anyone is hard, but you watched your friend die painfully because they lied to both of you and were planning on using you. I completely understand. If I were in your shoes, I’m not sure I would have been as forgiving.
Yeah, but that’s one of the things I’m apologizing for. I think I freaked out a little when Silas explained to me that I was your mate and I ignored you. I talked to the assassins with mates and they explained to me it’s not a compulsion to be with you, which I misbelieved what our relationship would be.
Noah, not used to so much self-reflection, breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Jade giggle in his head. He glanced up and noticed he closed the distance between them and now she was within arm’s length. He scanned Jade’s beautiful face, noticing that she wasn’t even winded, despite the ten-mile hike, uphill, they’d already completed. He was grateful he kept up his running and exercise schedule.
“To be honest, if you think about the concept of being a mate, it’s a little daunting. Immortals, for a reason we don’t understand, are enhanced in every way when we transition. That includes our enhancing our looks. And to be honest, I never thought of having a mate, not like Xander. But you took me by surprise, so I can understand why you had to think about it. And I’m still going to let you do just that—think about what you want when there isn’t a danger lurking over all of our heads.”
Jade started to turn and start their trek, but he reached out and clasped her hand in his larger one.
“I know you want me to think about it, but I wanted you to know that yes, I am attracted to you, but it’s more than that. I feel as though there is something missing when you’re not near me. I feel stronger when we work together and I’m looking forward to running into some shifters so we can see just how good we are together.” Noah slid his thumb along the palm of her hand, eliciting a shiver from her.
“I’ve never been as affected by any woman and the entire time you fought against your fellow assassins, I was torn between pulling you out of the fight or enjoying you making it look easy. And for an odd reason, watching you fight solidified how much we complement each other.”
Jade’s expressive green eyes were wide after his confession and she didn’t move away when he stepped closer to her.
“I know I’m not the most effusive man, but I am sorry if I hurt you.”
Jade searched his gaze for the truth and found it immediately. He smiled at her when she relaxed and squeezed his hand back. At that moment, her scent shifted slightly, adding a musky note to her already addicting peaches and vanilla scent, drawing him in even more.
Noah knew that in that moment their dynamic had changed and the solid weight that had settled in his chest from his treatment of her vanished.
“I only want you to be happy and if I can do anything that helps you with that, including getting revenge for Sam’s death, I will gladly do it. I’m sorry that I didn’t get to meet him.”
He nodded. “He would have liked you. And as for our relationship, we should do whatever feels natural.”
Jade nodded and, unable to stay away from her any longer, he stepped up close and raised his right hand slowly, moving it around to cup the back of her neck. He loved feeling her sweet breath on his neck.
“Can I kiss you?”
He gazed into her eyes and became mesmerized by the sparks glittering at his question. Jade licked her lips, pulling his gaze down to her beautiful light-pink lips. And being this close, he could see the smattering of freckles on her cheeks and found he wanted to kiss each one of them.
“Yes, please.”
S
omething simmered in Noah’s blood the moment his lips met Jade’s. It was a simple pressing of the lips, yet powerful. He couldn’t help as he swiped his tongue against her lower lip and groaned when she opened for him. For that one moment in time, everything else fell away.
He explored her mouth, savoring the cool mint and the taste of pure Jade. His hands explored her back and when he encountered her hair, he itched remove it from the tight knot on the back of her head. Noah hadn’t seen her with her hair down in the time they’d known each other.
Shaking his head, he realized then they had gotten too distracted from what they were meant to do and with reluctance, Noah slowly broke the kiss.
Noah had to blink several times in order to focus, and when he did, a smile played on the corner of his lips as she still had her eyes closed and there was a faint blush on her cheeks. She brought her fingers to her swollen lips and brushed them lightly against her skin before slowly opening her eyes and looking at him with a dazed expression.
“Was that your first kiss?”
She nodded.
“How is that even possible?”
“None of the men I’ve ever met were my mate, so I never bothered. Not even for experience.”
“What about before you transitioned, when you were human?”
She shook her head.
Noah had noticed the sky had started to darken, making the air around them cooler. He was dressed so warmly he hadn’t noticed. He took a moment for a quick glance around. They were in a ravine underneath an open sky and they would be hard to find in that spot unless you knew exactly what you were looking for. “We should make camp here for the night.”
Jade agreed, but when he reached for her backpack, she was slow to turn. He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.
He unpacked what they needed for the night before setting up the tent. With a perusal of the terrain map of the area, he determined they were ten clicks away from their destination and decided it was safe enough to build a fire.
As the fire crackled and the warmth seeped into his body, he ripped open the chicken with egg noodles and vegetables MRE and handed it to Jade, choosing the brisket one for himself. They listened to the animals moving in the dampened quiet only the snow could provide and the crackling of the fire that warmed them as they ate.
“I don’t remember anything about being human. I can’t remember my transition, or anything before Ghost found me in a deserted cabin on the outskirts of Snowfall fifty years ago.”
“Xander, Reaper, Kai, and Aubrey all remember theirs. Is it weird that you can’t remember yours?”
Jade smiled. “I’m glad you had a chance to get to know them. Especially Silas.”
“It’s easy to like Silas. And I notice that he’s curious about everything, so you end up talking about yourself without realizing how much you divulge.”
Jade laughed and he found himself wanting to hear the melodic laugh more often.
“It is odd that I don’t remember. I did have my birth certificate in a pocket, but everything but my first name and my date of birth was blocked out. Ghost tried to get document experts to find out more and Xander had taken a crack at it, but every turn was a dead end. All I know is I’m Jade and I was twenty-one when I became a red fox shifter. I sometimes wonder if I left behind a family, if they worried about me or if they were glad to be rid of me.”
Noah reached over and squeezed her hand. He refused to placate her because in reality, he couldn’t know the situation she’d left.
“Was your fighting innate or was it training?”
Jade laughed. “Training, definitely. When Ghost first hired me, I had no clue what to do and would refuse to hurt anyone. When I realized it was needed in order to save my life and make me a better assassin, I was all in. Learning was easy for me and I truly enjoyed the sparring. But tracking, that’s something innate in me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Choosing a direction is more than picking up a scent or a physical trail. Both humans and immortals have motivations and once you understand them, tracking is easy. These immortals need room but an area that is undetected. I searched farms within a thirty-mile radius of Crested Butte, the town you remember driving through, and found what farms and ranches had been deserted long ago but hadn’t fallen into disrepair. The only one that fit is the one a short walk from here tomorrow.”
Noah nodded, understanding. “But what is this crew’s motivation?”
“They are unorganized and lazy, but greedy. They believed Anzu, their old leader, when he said they could destroy Dark Company and kill all of us and then they can take over. Dark Company has an exclusive contract with the government. We’re considered deeper than black ops, only getting the contracts where human methods have failed to eliminate the target.
“But when they fought us, they were decimated. It was because we are trained and work well together as a team, but they only saw that we had numbers on our side. There are many more assassins who are stationed all over the country and world, and they came together for Xander and Silas. And because these men saw they were defeated by so many, they believe numbers are the one thing that will win a war.”
Jade squeezed his hand, and Noah swallowed hard.
“They know that they will fail at the transitions, but it doesn’t stop them from trying. Humans, to them, are disposable unless they suit a purpose.”
Noah rubbed a spot on his chest as he thought about Sam.
“Is that how Gunnar tracks?”
“Gunnar is more of a traditional tracker. He has a great sense of smell, better than I ever had, and can pick up a trail that I would miss by sight. We work in tandem because we both have strengths that play off each other.”
“Does anyone else know about your past?”
“No. I’m no different than the rest of them. Besides, if I have no starting point, I have no clue where to go.”
Noah laughed. “Each of you is different. Unique, in your own way.”
“Most people only see what’s on the outside, even those I consider family.”
“What do you mean?”
Jade laughed, but it was hollow. “Most women see me as a threat. The first time I met Liv, Ara, Aubrey, and Frost, they all believed me to be a challenger for their mate’s affections, but it doesn’t work that way. And I don’t clear the air, but they come to realize that I’m not on their own.”
“I can understand that.”
“Why did you want to be a SEAL?”
“I joined the Navy to get out of Colorado, see the world. I learned about the SEALs after two years of being enlisted and my CO recommended me because I liked to push myself to do more. When I passed BUD/S, I loved the camaraderie I felt with my team. After years of being deployed, I found myself slowing fractionally, but enough that I might put others in danger if I was a split second too late. I don’t miss the combat, but I miss the guys and feeling as though I was doing something important. That’s why I went with Sam when he applied for the mercenary position.”
Jade’s green eyes hardened as she was reminded of the monsters they were after. “I promise you, we will find them and eliminate them. All of them.”
“I believe you. And I trust you, Jade.”
She smiled at him. They talked more about some of the people he’d met around the world, and before long, Jade yawned. They settled into the tent, bringing only one to save room. He laid there for a long time, listening to her deep breathing lulling him to sleep. The last thing he remembered was that her scent had shifted again. This time, he could’ve sworn he detected eucalyptus.
Chapter Five
Jade
Jade had awoken several minutes earlier after the best sleep she’d had in years, and watched Noah as he slept deeply next to her in his own sleeping bag.
The day before had been full of surprises. She hadn’t expected him to apologize, but it was the kiss that rocked her world. And when she slowly recovered, she realized she would never be the same again.
Part of her knew that his rejection could have severe consequences, but she thought if she had been in the same position, not having a choice because fate had destined Jade to be with someone, she would fight it with everything inside her. And she couldn’t do that to Noah.
But when he said he wanted to see how their relationship progressed naturally, she felt the coil around her chest loosen. There was always a possibility that he could change his mind, but she decided not to dwell on the fact until it happened.
Jade listened to Noah’s deep, even breathing and memorized the sound. Pushing her senses farther out, two things had her brow furrowing, one more serious than the other.
First, the snowstorm that was predicted for the end of the week had accelerated its pace. The wind whipped around the tent before dissipating, bringing in the heavy scent of snow in the distance. The storm would probably arrive the following afternoon at the latest, which moved up their timetable.
The second, and most worrying, fact. The breeze brought the scent of two distinct bear shifters and they had been close to their camp within the last two hours. They were closer than either she or Noah realized, which meant they could find their base in a couple of hours and hike back to the car by this afternoon.
Since they hadn’t destroyed the tent, Noah must’ve pitched it somewhere invisible until you got close enough and the wind pushed their scent in the other direction, leaving the bear shifters unaware. With any experienced assassin, they would have scented both of them right away and attacked.
Or they were playing with them.
Jade’s eyes shot open at that particular thought, a feeling of dread washing over her. It was supposed to be a recon mission, but they might have a fight on their hands and she had to prepare Noah.
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