He made a tsking sound. “He’s a monster, you know. He’s killed more people than me.”
“He’s a good man,” she said.
“No, sweetie,” Wilson said with a small grin. “He isn’t. He’s a very bad man who I’m going to make do very bad things.”
“He won’t do it,” she said.
Wilson laughed. “Of course, he will. I have his brother and the woman he loves. He’ll do whatever I tell him to.”
“You’re wrong.” Her voice sounded weak and uncertain. Clay didn’t love her, she wasn’t unsure about that, but he’d do anything for his brother.
Frost returned, carrying a bucket of water. Emerson flinched when he dumped it over Clay’s head. Clay jerked awake, coughing and choking as he sat up. He groaned and touched the back of his head gingerly. She could see the bruises and swelling around his throat as he stared blearily at her.
“Em? Baby, are you hurt?” he rasped out.
She shook her head as Clay said, “Where are we? What….”
Wilson moved to Emerson’s side, pulling her up out of the chair and holding the gun to her temple. “Hello, Clay.”
“Get away from her.” Clay climbed to his feet. He swayed slightly as there was another crash from upstairs and another bellow of wounded outrage.
“Don’t even think about teleporting,” Wilson said. “If you do, I’ll shoot Emerson in the head.”
Clay stared at her before studying Wilson. “Where’s my brother?”
“Do you know how pissed I am at you, Clay? I had to dart Dax to stop him from killing you, and now he’s upstairs throwing the world’s largest temper tantrum.” Wilson sighed harshly. “I’ll have to kill that asshole, and it’s all your fault.”
“I want to see my brother,” Clay said.
“You’re not calling the shots. I am. So, keep your fucking mouth shut before I shoot you in the fucking leg.” Wilson waited for a beat before continuing. “How did you know to come to the lake house? Tell me, Emerson, or I really will shoot Clay.”
“I remembered something Owen said about seeing trees and the lake behind Jonathan,” she said.
“Clever girl,” Wilson said. “How ironic is it that you chose to show up here on the one night that I decide to make a little trip myself. I haven’t been here in months, and yet… here we all are. It’s fate, don’t you think?”
“I want to see my brother,” Clay repeated.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Wilson said. “Fine! You can see your fucking brother. Frost!”
Frost left the room. Tears slipped down Emerson’s face when Frost and another man returned with Owen. The look of love on Clay’s face made her throat tighten, and her love for her mate intensified.
“Clay?” Owen said. Joy and disbelief flooded his face. “Clay, you’re here.”
“Owen,” Clay rasped.
“Clay!” Wilson said when Clay started toward his brother. “If you teleport out of here with Owen, I will put a bullet in Emerson’s brain. I promise.”
Clay stared at him and then at Emerson. Tears flowing freely, she tried to smile at him as Wilson said, “I mean it, Clay. You’ll kill the woman you love.”
Clay turned away and headed toward Owen, and a weird calm washed over Emerson. Wilson was wrong. Clay didn’t love her. Owen was the only person he loved. The moment Clay touched Owen, he would teleport them away, and she would die. Her jaguar called to her, but there was no panic seeping through that wall of glass that separated them. She knew what was about to happen as clearly as Emerson did.
I love you, sweet one.
Clay pulled Owen into his arms. Emerson closed her eyes and waited for the sound of the gun, the pain… the darkness.
Nothing happened. Emerson opened her eyes. Owen and Clay were hugging, and Owen’s face was buried in Clay’s neck. She had a moment to think how happy she was that Clay was finally with his brother again before Clay, still holding Owen in his arms, turned to stare at her.
She met his gaze unblinkingly. She loved him, and she desperately wanted to tell him again before she died, but she wouldn’t make this harder on him. Wouldn’t make the guilt he felt once she was dead even worse.
Emerson made a soft sound of shock when, holding her gaze, Clay released Owen and said, “I love you, Emerson.”
Clay disappeared in a puff of wind.
Wilson grunted in surprise. “What the fuck?”
Another puff of wind and Clay reappeared behind Frost. He gripped the man’s head and, with a quick twist of his arms, snapped the man’s neck. Frost dropped to the floor, and Clay yanked the gun out of his hand before disappearing again.
“What the fuck?” Wilson shouted. His hand tightened on Emerson’s arm as Clay reappeared in front of the second security guy. Before the man could raise his gun, Clay shot him between the eyes and disappeared. The man collapsed with a heavy thud, blood pooling beneath his head.
Wilson yanked Emerson in front of him, his breath coming in heavy, harsh pants against her hair. “Where the fuck is he?”
Hysterical laughter bubbled up in Emerson’s throat. “He could be anywhere. You’re so fucked, Wilson.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Wilson screamed. “Shut the fuck up, or I’ll kill you right now, you stupid fucking bitch!”
Clay appeared in front of them just as Dax, tissues sticking comically out of both of his ears, ran into the office. Emerson screamed a warning, but it was too late. Dax shot Clay in the back with a dart as Wilson yodeled laughter into her ear. “Atta boy, Dax!”
Clay yanked the dart from his back as Dax tackled him. The gun fell from Clay’s hand and slid under Wilson’s desk as he and Dax slammed into the wall.
Her heart thumping an erratic rhythm and her jaguar screaming in fury, Emerson grabbed Wilson’s arm when he aimed his gun at Clay’s head. The gun went off, the bullet burying itself into the wall inches from Clay’s head.
Emerson used her body weight to propel herself backward, knocking Wilson to the floor with a harsh grunt. His iron-clad grip on her arm didn’t break, and she was dragged down with him. She grappled for the gun as Owen ran across the room toward Dax and Clay. He reached for Dax’s ear, trying desperately to yank out the tissue, but Dax swung his arm back and caught Owen on the cheek with a hard blow.
The smaller man crumpled to the floor. Clay screamed his name before punching Dax twice in the face and shoving him away. He dove toward the desk, sliding along the floor on his chest and stomach.
Emerson’s grip on the gun slipped, and she screamed in anger and fear. Wilson kneed her in the stomach before headbutting her. The world wavered and shimmered, and she lost her tenuous grip on the gun.
His head pounding and his throat bone dry, Clay dove for the desk, sliding headfirst into it as he groped underneath it for the gun. Behind him, Dax roared with rage, and the tiger shifter’s hands gripped Clay’s calves. The tips of Clay’s fingers brushed against the gun, and he surged forward against Dax’s grip, wrapping his fingers around the weapon as Dax yanked him back out from under the desk.
He flipped to his back and brought the gun up, shooting Dax in the forehead as the tiger shifter reached for him. Dax staggered back and slid down the wall. A thin stream of blood flowed out of the hole and down the bridge of his nose. He died with a look of blank shock on his face.
Owen staggered to his feet, a bruise already blossoming to life on his jaw. “Clay?”
Clay whirled around when Emerson screamed, his stomach clenching into a tight ball and the hair on the back of his neck standing up when Wilson pressed the gun against her head.
His face bright red and lunacy in his eyes, Wilson said, “I’ll fucking kill her, Clay. Don’t you fucking move, or I’ll kill her.”
Clay held his hands up, keeping his voice calm as he said, “I’m not moving. But it’s over, Wilson. You’ve lost.”
“No, I haven’t,” Wilson said. “Because I’m the one with the fucking gun and the woman you love. Nothing’s changed. You’re gonna stay right the fuck whe
re you are as me, and your brother, and your girlfriend walk out of this room.”
“No,” Clay said.
Wilson laughed. “Yes. You have no choice.”
“Wilson,” Emerson said.
“Move out of the way, Clay,” Wilson said.
“Wilson,” Emerson said.
“Shut the fuck up, Emerson,” Wilson said.
“You forgot something,” she said.
Wilson dug the gun barrel into her head. “I said shut the fuck up.”
Understanding dawned on Owen’s face. Emerson smiled at Owen and said, “You didn’t turn off your hearing aids, Wilson.”
There was a moment of stunned silence before Owen said, “Let go of Emerson and point the gun at your head, Wilson.”
Wilson dropped her arm, and the pressure eased from her head. She backed away as Wilson made a high pitch whine. “Owen, please. No, please don’t do this.”
“You kidnapped my love.” Owen walked toward Wilson. “You kept me from him, you made me do terrible things, and you tried to kill my brother.”
“Mercy,” Wilson said. “I’m begging you for mercy, Owen.”
Owen laughed. “Mercy? Where was your mercy toward me or the people I love? You’re going to die in this room, Wilson.”
“Owen,” Clay rasped as he placed his hand on Owen’s arm. “This isn’t you. Don’t do this.”
“This is me,” Owen said dully. “This is who I am, Clay. There’s darkness in me.”
“There isn’t.” Clay cupped Owen’s face. “You’re a good man. I love you, baby brother. You don’t have to do this. You have a choice. What happened before on that bridge… was an accident. We were scared little kids, that’s all. You aren’t evil. You’re not. Do you understand?”
Owen stared at him. “I want to kill him, Clay. I want him to die for what he’s done.”
“I know,” Clay said. “I want him to die too.” His gaze slipped to Emerson. “But I want to be a good man for her. I love her, and I love you, Owen. That’s what’s important, right? Not anger or revenge. Granger will pay for what he’s done, I promise. But killing him won’t make you feel better. Believe me.”
He squeezed Owen’s face. “You’re not a bad guy, Owen.”
Owen’s face twisted, and he sucked in a shuddering breath. “Neither are you, Clay.”
“I know,” Clay said before hugging him roughly. He kissed Owen’s forehead and then grabbed the lamp sitting on the desk. He tore the cord from it and moved behind Wilson. “Owen, release him.”
“Give me the gun, Wilson,” Owen said.
His hand shaking wildly, Wilson handed over the gun. He grunted in pain when Clay yanked his hands behind his back and quickly tied them with the cord before shoving him into a chair. “Don’t fucking move, asshole.”
Clay walked toward Emerson, stopping a foot away from her. “Em? Baby, are you okay?”
She nodded and then threw herself at him. He caught her and pressed kisses across her face. “Don’t cry, baby. It’s okay. Don’t cry.”
“I love you,” she said. “I love you so much, Clay.”
He pressed his forehead against hers. “I love you too, Em.”
Epilogue
“So, have you introduced Clay to Mom and Dad yet?”
Emerson leaned back in her chair, studying the iPad propped in front of her. Kat grinned at her from the screen. “You can’t hide him from them forever. Mom already knows something’s going on.”
“Did you or Ronin say something to her?”
“No,” Kat took a sip of orange juice. “You refusing to give her the address of your new place is a giant red flag, Emmy. She asked me the other night who you were shacking up with.”
Emerson groaned. “Does it make me a bad daughter to never want to introduce Clay to Mom? You know she’s gonna freak out because he’s human.”
“Technically, he isn’t human,” Kat said.
“True, but I’m not about to tell our mother that my new boyfriend is a teleporter. She’ll either freak out or be constantly asking him to teleport her to Hawaii.”
Kat laughed so hard she spilled her orange juice down her shirt. “Oh my God, I didn’t even think of that. She would totally make him teleport her to Hawaii. She loves that place.”
Emerson grinned at her sister. “I’m having coffee with Mom this weekend. I’ll tell her that not only have I still not found a job, but I’m also dating a human and living in sin with him, just like my little sister is doing with her boyfriend.”
“You can try to drag me into this, but it won’t work,” Kat said. “You know how much Mom loves Ronin. The guy can do no wrong as far as she’s concerned.”
Emerson laughed. “That’s true.”
“How are you doing?” Kat said.
“Fine. It’s been a month,” Emerson said.
“I know, but being separated from your jaguar was traumatic, not to mention having a gun held to your head multiple times.”
“True,” Emerson said. “But thanks to Ronin, it was only for a few hours. And as far as the gun thing… yes, it was scary, and I don’t ever want to have it happen again, but I’m okay, Kat. I promise.”
“Okay.” Kat smiled at her and changed the subject. “Did you watch the news this morning? The Eastbourne DA has already indicted Wilson on drug trafficking and distribution charges, as well as a first-degree murder charge for the guy you saw him kill. You’ll have to testify at his trial, Em.”
“I know,” she said. “I’ve already talked to the DA about it. He asked me if I knew of any of Wilson’s drug associates who would have tied him up in his office at the warehouse and left him there for the police to find.”
Kat laughed. “That was pretty brilliant of Clay to teleport him there and then make an anonymous call to the police. What did you tell the DA?”
“I told him I had no knowledge of Wilson’s drug shipping. That until the day I saw him shoot Mr. Tridell in his office, I thought it was a legitimate business. I was worried that Wilson would say something about Owen and Clay, but he hasn’t said a word.”
“Of course, he hasn’t. He doesn’t want to add kidnapping charges to his list of crimes,” Kat said. “They’ve connected Wilson to dozens of drug lords throughout the entire city. He had their contact information on his phone, as well as dates and times of shipments. It’s like he wanted to get caught.”
Emerson shook her head. “It isn’t that. He kept all that information because he figured he could use it against the people he shipped drugs for. I guarantee you that he’s already trying to make a deal with the DA’s office.”
“It’s not going to happen,” Kat said. “Bren said the DA is a wombat shifter, and he wasn’t too happy to hear about the existence of the serum. He made sure Wilson was remanded without bail. The asshole is going to sit in jail until trial.”
“Good,” Emerson said. “So, the DA told the judge about the serum?”
“No.” Kat picked at one painted nail. “They’ve decided to keep the existence of the serum under wraps. His charges are only connected to the drug trafficking and the murder of Tridell.”
Emerson frowned. “I’m not sure it’s the right thing to do, keeping the existence of this serum from the world. It just makes it easier for Grimes to find people like Granger to help him distribute it.”
“I don’t disagree,” Kat said. “But also… can you imagine the panic that will happen if paranormals know that humans have created a serum to stop us from shifting? It could bring on a war between paranormals and humans.”
Fear slithered down Emerson’s back. “You’re right. Of course, you’re right.”
There was a soft puff of air behind her. She grinned when Kat made a startled yowl and clutched at her orange juice.
“Hi, honey,” Emerson said.
“Hi, Em.” Clay leaned down and nuzzled her hair before staring at the iPad screen. “Hello, Kat.”
“Hey. How did your meeting with Mal go?” Kat said.
“Good.
I’m officially retired, but if you need someone with my” Clay paused, “talents, Mal knows he can call me.”
“Awesome. Don’t forget about games night on Friday. Ronin’s been making me play Trivial Pursuit all week. He says he can’t suffer another devastating loss at the hands of Owen and Jonathan like we did last weekend.”
Clay laughed. “Yeah, we’ll be there.”
“Cool. Later, Emmy.”
“Bye, Kat.” Emerson ended the video call as Clay slipped his arms around her and kissed her neck.
“You smell good.”
“Thank you. Did you get Owen and Jonathan moved into their apartment?”
“I did. It’s nice. Not as nice as the one I offered to buy them, but Owen refused even to consider it. He said both he and Jonathan have great new jobs and are perfectly capable of paying their own damn rent.”
She laughed. “I can just hear him saying it too. I’m glad they decided to move here, Clay.”
“Me too,” Clay said. “Thank you for spending so much time with them the last few weeks.”
“I’ve enjoyed being with them,” she said. “You ready for dinner?”
“Hmm,” he said. “We could cook dinner, or we could celebrate that we have our apartment back to ourselves.”
“Our apartment, huh?” she said.
“Yes. Ours,” he said. “What do you say? Do you want to eat dinner, or do you want to celebrate just you and me in this luxury penthouse with a round of incredibly satisfying sex from yours truly?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I’m pretty hungry.”
He grinned at her and slapped her on the ass. “Fuck, I love you. Marry me.”
She blinked at him. “What?”
“Marry me,” he said.
“We’ve known each other a month,” she said.
“I know.”
“If I marry you, my family will say I’m making another impulsive decision and trying to ruin my life like I always do.”
“In that case,” he kissed her until she was breathless, “you have to marry me and prove them wrong.”
“You make an excellent point.”
“Is that a yes, Em?”
Rise of the Jaguar Page 28