by Cassidy, Cam
She looked around. Gee had gone without a sound the same way in which he came. Deep inside, she knew Jax was wrong, dead wrong when it came to Gee. The man was definitely not crazy and far from harmless.
***
Jax hadn’t intended on being gone long when he left the cabin. He’d only needed a quick run into town to talk with Drew about Ange. He’d wanted to know what his choices were regarding telling her about the pack. Ange was his mate, and the sooner he could claim her, the better. He hadn’t found him in town and didn’t want to leave Ange alone too long. The last thing he needed was one of the pack to go running through in Wolf form and freak her the fuck out before he had a chance to explain. So instead, he had returned home, glad he had when he saw Gee and Ange on his porch.
He leaned down, cupped her face in his hands. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Didn’t expect to see anyone. This doesn’t seem much of a Welcome Wagon community.”
He slid his hands down her arms, the Wolf needing to know she was unharmed. His gaze stopped on her neck, his fingers lightly touching the round bruises, which reminded him of exactly that…fingertips around her neck. “I don’t remember those bruises. Did he lay a hand on you?”
His Wolf struggled for control, more than ready to hunt down Gee and kill the bastard if he touched what was his. It was only Ange’s voice, the warmth of her hand on his back which kept him from running off.
“No, he never touched me.”
Jax looked around, scented the air. There was no trace of Gee. He opened the door to the cabin and led her inside.
“Can you grab my purse? I need to brush this hair. One look at me and he probably decided I was some crazy woman.”
He got her purse from the bedroom, handed it to her, and she started to dig through it. He would never understand why women needed to carry so much shit around.
Footsteps on the porch caught his attention first then the scent. Before he had a chance to move to the door, Drew opened it and stepped inside. The Alpha had always been respectful to the pack and their privacy. For him to simply barge in the door was not normal and didn’t bode well.
Jax’s hackles rose. “Come on in. Oh wait, you already did.”
Ange jumped up, her purse tumbling off her lap, the contents spilling out onto the floor. Jax crouched down to pick up the contents of her purse, he realized she and Drew seemed to be having a staring contest. The air seemed to grow thick with hostility. Every Wolf within a mile would sense Drew was pissed. Eyeballing the Alpha was number one on the top-ten list of things to not do. Every Wolf knew it. But Ange wasn’t a Wolf. Drew needed to cut her some slack.
“Ange, you remember Drew? He’s my…boss. He found you yesterday on the road before I got there.” He had almost slipped up and told her Drew was his Alpha. Drew would have taken a serious bite out of Jax’s ass if he had. The two needed to talk and soon.
More footsteps and Ryker stood at Drew’s side, neither of their stances casual.
“Drew, I was in town this morning looking for you.” Jax eyed the Enforcer. What the hell is he doing here? “I was hoping we could talk…in private.”
He glanced back down, picking up a folded piece of paper. It opened, revealing a sketch. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. There was no way she could have drawn the picture. Memories of the past flooded his mind, a shiver coursed up his spine. The paper slipped easily through his fingers when Drew took it from his hand.
No one spoke the name belonging to the face on the sketch. The name had long been a curse to the pack, saying it would almost be asking for it to return.
Her voice, however, drew their attention. “Aren’t you going to welcome me home, son?”
Chapter Fourteen
The voice came from Ange, except it wasn’t hers. It was husky and rough. Jax saw the flash in her eyes, a dark swirl, nearly black.
Drew stepped forward, and growled a low warning, Ryker by his side. “What the fuck did you say?”
Ange collapsed onto the couch. Her hand clutched at her necklace, her knuckles white. “I don’t know where that came from. I swear.”
“Gee came to find me after he left here.” While Drew may have tried to keep his voice calm, the tension still filled his words. “He believes there’s more to her than what we see. I need answers, Jax.”
Jax had serious issues with the direction this was heading. His Wolf paced, sensing the hostility directed toward his mate. Drew was giving him the chance to ask the questions, to avoid Jax shifting to protect her. He kneeled in front of where she sat. “Okay, Ange, it’s time for us to talk. You need to tell us, how the hell did you find me? This place isn’t exactly on the tourist map.”
She glanced up at Drew and Ryker before she turned to him. “Would you believe me if I said I don’t know?” He’d expected her to cower against the couch. Not his mate. She sat tall, her voice strong. “I remember I hitched a ride out of town and then I just walked. I’ve never been out here but something guided me, showed me the route to take. I was so tired, I wanted to rest. Only I couldn’t. Something wouldn’t let me stop.”
Jax paced as his frustration hit an all-time high. “Don’t start with the mumbo jumbo spirit shit. There had to be someone in town who told you, hell, drew you a map. I don’t know how you could have found this place, let alone in the dark and on foot. Barefoot, I might add.”
“Something, I don’t know how to explain it….” Ange snapped right back, “It made me come here. It was a pull. I had no choice except to follow. Why the hell can’t you believe me? Oh, forgive me, I forgot. I’m a fake and a con artist. Why should you believe anything?”
Jax was in her face, his voice more of a low growl. “How do you expect me to save you? No one knows about this place. The location is secret. Do you get what I’m saying?” Frustration mixed with his anger. How the hell did he get her to understand what she had fallen into without telling her what he was?
Her eyes seemed to glaze over, and she was quiet, her chin dropped to her chest. He had almost started to feel bad for getting in her face. She lifted her chin to look into her eyes, her eyes darkening. “Who’ll protect you from me, Honiahaka?”
The name almost put him on his ass. “What did you call me?” The word was a knife to his heart and he struggled to stay on his feet. How many damn years had passed since he’d heard it?
The change in her eyes had appeared, it was gone just as quickly as it came. Back were the baby blues. He was losing his fucking mind that was the only explanation. Where the fuck had THAT come from? He could still hear his mother’s voice, Come here, Honiahaka, and tell me of your day. Over six feet tall and a grown man and, until the day she died, raped and murdered at the hands of Magnum after the foreseer of the pack predicted she would cause his death, Jax had always been his mother’s little Wolf.
Drew and Ryker were at his side and pulled him away from her. At that point, he didn’t know if it was for her safety or his.
Stepping forward, Drew looked down at Ange. “Well, that answers the question of how you found us. Magnum brought you here. The next obvious question would be why?”
“Kill you and take back what’s mine,” the voice no longer Ange’s, her body obviously no longer hers to control when she stood to face off against Drew. “Good luck, Dad. I killed you once. The second time around things only get easier.” The hate and malice in Drew’s tone left no question of his deadly intent.
Jax snapped at the threat and lost all control. He fought against Ryker, broke free, and dove for Ange, only to have Drew’s hand clamp around his throat, his other hand grabbed the sketch, forcing Jax to stare at it. “You still don’t see it do you?” The paper shook in his hand when he showed it to Ange, “Who is this? Where did you get this picture?” Jax knew the Alpha’s hand didn’t tremble out of fear. It was pure anger and hatred the scent of it filled the cabin until he nearly choked on the vile scent.
“Magnum. I drew it from memories of my dreams. You can’t stop hi
m. No one can.” One step was all she took before Ryker had her arms locked behind her back.
“Ryker, keep her locked down. Jax and I need to talk privately.” Drew’s jaw locked, and he never took his eyes off Ange.
“You can talk to him here. I’m not leaving you to deal with him on your own.” Ryker’s tension was nearly palpable.
Drew’s gaze shot to the Enforcer. “It wasn’t a request. Jax and I are going to talk. You’re not going to hurt her. You’re taking her in for now.”
Every instinct Jax had screamed inside him to shift and rip the fucking arms off Ryker for touching Ange.
Ryker’s eyes were deadly focused on Jax, “Don’t do it.”
He led Ange to the door before she started to kick and scream. The door slammed closed behind them, not that it mattered. He could still hear her. She needed him. He had let her down, and she would die. His clothes ripped, bones cracked and reformed to the beast that he was, the Wolf that demanded his mate.
All conscious thought was gone when he shifted. His large paws barely hit touched down when he was suddenly slammed to the floor, Drew’s work boot pressing down on his throat. Leaning down, Drew growled, his jaw clenching obviously struggling against his own turning. “Shift. The. Fuck. Back. Now.” His boot pressed harder, cutting off Jax’s breath. “In case you missed it, that wasn’t a request. Ryker was given orders to take her in, not to hurt her. He won’t go against those orders; just like you won’t go against yours. Now fucking shift.”
There was no disobeying a direct order from the Alpha. Bones and muscle shifted and Jax forced himself back to his human form then immediately stood to face Drew. His teeth gnashed together with such force he felt his jaw pop. “This is not happening. Not now. Not ever.”
Drew took a step forward, his chest against Jax’s. “Be careful, Jax, that almost sounded really close to you issuing an order to me. Something I know you really don’t want to do. You don’t really have a choice in it. She has to die.”
His anger became a living breathing thing inside him. “Fuck! And you know she’s my mate. There is no way I can or will stand by and watch her die. You’ll have to kill me, too.”
“Fine damn time for you to start to believe in things. I know she is supposed to be your mate. I know how strong the bond between mates is. Consider yourself lucky you haven’t marked her yet. You can survive this. You think I’m going to enjoy having to kill her? A human? A woman? It’s my duty to protect this pack. Magnum found a way back, and it was through her. I won’t let everything I’ve worked for be destroyed.”
Jax growled. “There has to be some other way.”
Drew let out an exasperated sigh. “First mates and now miracles? You have no idea how much it kills me to do this. The Wolf who had believed in nothing finally finds his way only to have it ripped away by his Alpha. I don’t want to fucking do this. Goddammit, Jax, growing up, we were like brothers. When I returned, you were one of the first at my side. If there was anything I could do to change this, you know I would. I don’t get to think what you want or what I want. I have to think of all of us, the pack, and what’s best for all. I’ll give you some time to come to grips with this. Don’t take that to mean anything more than that. Don’t get any false hope my friend. Her death has to happen. I can only ask you, don’t make me kill you, too. We both know I will.”
Chapter Fifteen
It didn’t take Ange long to realize that struggling against Ryker did little good. Once she was out of earshot of the cabin, she decided to walk along. The darkness within her seemed to grow with every step. Her fist clenched so tight her fingers ached. She tried to release it and realized the stone was back in her hand. She didn’t remember picking it up after it apparently fell from her purse. Her mind filled with dark visions, panic threatening to choke her. She tripped and fell over a branch then realized exactly what they were…memories. Not hers, Magnum’s, his spirit pushing to take over.
Ryker jerked her up off the ground, pulling her along.
“Where are you taking me?” Ange didn’t recognize her own voice.
“You’ll know when we get there.” The man never faltered, leading her through the woods.
“Does it bother you, killing the mate of a friend?” Magnum’s memories had taken full control. Ange screamed in her mind.
“I’m an Enforcer, I don’t have friends.” He glanced around the clearing when they approached the cabin.
“Killing doesn’t bother you either, does it?” Ange taunted.
Remaining silent, he opened the door to the remote cabin and pushed her inside. The door closed, and the lock clicked into place. There were no windows. Ryker’s footsteps followed by the sound of a match gave away his location before the flame illuminated in a lantern. Ropes and chains hung from hooks on the walls, ready for use. Three wooden chairs were the only furniture.
“You won’t kill me. You can’t. You’re bound by blood to keep me alive.”
Silence….
“Don’t believe me? Do you remember the night in the barn? How about a walk down memory lane with me for old times’ sake? Jax was tied by heavy ropes to the beams. He hung like a spider caught in a web. I used a bullwhip, and first I sliced open his back. I kept going until his splattered blood covered every surface of the old barn. You offered to ‘finish him off’ for me. Wanted to put him out of his misery would have been closer to the truth. You were never one to enjoy the pain one can inflict before the kill. The rush of adrenaline which flows through your veins when you watch someone die. Pity, you never did have a stomach for the kill, did you?”
Ryker never flinched, his expression never changed to give away his emotions. He moved toward the door, leaning against it. His strong arms crossed over his chest. “You should have stayed dead. I’m not bound to you any longer. If Drew doesn’t kill you, I will.”
***
The ache in Jax’s chest returned at the thought he could lose Ange. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. He could see her eyes, imagine the softness of her hair, fine silk which slid through his fingers. The cabin held her scent, their scent from the night he’d just spent buried inside her. He seemed the walls had begun to close in on him. Drew’s words. He would be forced to choose between the pack which was his life and the mate who would be his world.
Drew wasn’t gone long when Jax shifted, midair, and burst out the door at a dead run. It still wasn’t fast enough to miss catching her scent. He knew exactly which direction she and Ryker had gone. His Wolf wanted to follow the trail, take back what was taken from him with any force needed. The man was still in control and instead ran in the opposite direction. The Alpha hadn’t followed Ryker. Both were men of their word. Ange was alive…for now.
He gave over to the Wolf. All he felt was his strength in this form. The way his paws dug into the dirt when he landed before he pushed off again and kicked up leaves. He ran until his coat was slick with sweat, his muscles trembled from strain. The word mine still echoed in his mind. He turned sharp to the right when he caught the scent. Looking up, he saw the man who stood in the woods and let out a feral growl. He shifted midair not missing a stride until he was in Gee’s face. “You couldn’t have come to me with this shit, you went straight to Drew?”
“You would not have believed me. Evil comes in many forms. Before you raise your fist in anger, remember, not every battle is won with brawn. It’s the things you can’t see which are the strongest. Love, hate, good, and evil. Find your faith and you’ll find your path.”
“She’s my mate, Gee. Can you ever give a straight fuckin’ answer, or is everything the fortune-cookie version with you?”
“You have to find the path by yourself. Sometimes you have to go back in order to go forward. It’s your destiny, not mine.”
Gee turned and walked off. Jax knew he could chase him down, but it was useless. He wouldn’t get any answers. He walked to a stream, kneeled down, scooped water into his hands, and drank. “Crazy bastard. Back to go forward. What the he
ll would that mean?”
He leaned over to splash water on his face then looked at his reflection. His life had been merely an existence, good times with good friends. The scar on the right side of his neck reflected back at him, a reminder it was a life that hadn’t always been so carefree. It took a hell of a lot to scar a Wolf.
Gee’s words finally hit him. The one place he would need to go back to was the last place he ever wanted to go. He had left that place and that time locked in his memory for a reason. Going back to hell to revisit his time with Magnum. Jax had barely survived the last meeting with the Alpha. He prayed he was strong enough to survive a second time.
He shifted to the Wolf and ran toward the old barn.
Chapter Sixteen
The memories which continued to play in her mind, she could only equate to an old horror movie. There lay the problem, it wasn’t a movie. Somewhere hidden deep inside her, the monster that caused it waited for the time to strike. Ange wanted to crawl into a corner to get away. Tears blistered her eyes as she realized there would be no getting away from what lived within her. Magnum had taken control. Instead of curling into a little ball and allow the fear and reality to take over, she stood against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest, watching, waiting for a chance to strike.
Hesitantly at first she sifted through Magnum’s memories. She watched in awe as humans turned to wolves. She had heard the legends of them from her Bunica. When she was a child, she would sit on her grandmother’s lap and listen to the tales. The tribes of humans who, on the night of the full moon, took on the form of the beast. Never had they been described as anything near the sadistic evil she felt within Magnum. Like all species the ability for violence was there, but the wolves were more a faction who closely guarded their privacy from the outside world with a desperate need. One that she could completely understand.