by Lisa Kessler
Chapter Twenty-Four
Gareth
Out in the hallway, I had to stop and shift myself in my jeans. I already wanted her again. No woman had ever affected me like this. Made it tough to think straight.
I slid the room key into my pocket and went down the stairs leading to the bar below. As soon as I pushed through the door, his scent slammed into me. The jaguar was back. I didn’t know where he’d gone to earlier to cover his scent, but now he was here. In the saloon. Right under our room.
Fuck. Adrenaline shot into my bloodstream, heightening my senses. I had to keep a cool head. He wouldn’t blow his cover in a public place. Which one was he? Two older guys sat at the bar chatting while I scanned the room. My eyes stopped on a slender guy sitting alone in the shadows at the other end.
I headed in that direction, wishing I had my Buck Knife on me. It was stowed in the leather sheath, resting at the bottom of my saddlebag on the Harley. No way in hell was I going out to get it now. Not with Nadya right upstairs.
I approached him cautiously, half expecting him to bolt from the bar. He knocked back his drink and met my eyes. This was the same guy I’d seen briefly after Nadya was bitten. He blew up the lumberyard, destroying any chance of police discovering evidence of Fonthill and his condition.
I stopped a few feet from him. “Why are you following me?”
He glanced my way. “Not you. Her.” He set the empty glass on the bar and nodded to the woman behind the counter. “Another.”
She brought a whisky bottle over, but she didn’t pour. “I think you’ve had enough.”
His nostrils flared slightly. “Pour another.”
The bartender shifted her attention toward me. “You a friend of his?”
“No.”
He kicked the stool next to him out. “Sit, wolf.”
“Screw you, asshole. I’m not your damned dog.”
The bartender backed away without refilling his glass. He rolled his eyes and turned to face me. “Perhaps we should take this outside.”
“Fine.” Outside would get him farther away from Nadya. Worked for me.
I waited for him to go first. I wasn’t going to give the slick bastard a chance to race upstairs. Once we were out on the wooden sidewalk, he turned and walked toward the corner. I followed, scanning the area for any other unwelcome guests. He was the only shifter scent I picked up, but that didn’t mean there weren’t Nero agents around. Besides having trained jaguar shifter assassins at their disposal, they also employed well-trained mercenary units of humans.
He stopped in a dimly lit parking lot and faced me. His posture wobbled. Being shifters, our bodies metabolized liquor faster than humans, but even so, this guy was impaired. In his condition, I might be able to break his neck and end this without my knife. He had to know that. So why risk it?
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Who are you? Why are you here?”
“Age old questions I have no answers for.”
Maybe I’d just kill him. Did it really matter why this drunk jaguar was following Nadya? “I’m not here to play games.”
“Neither am I, wolf.” His eyes narrowed. “You don’t know who I am, do you?”
“Should I?”
He shrugged. “I’m impressed. Your precious Pack has secrets.”
My patience was wearing thin. “Who are you?”
“Sebastian.” He straightened up, suddenly not as inebriated as I suspected. “Sebastian Severino.”
I chewed on the information for a second. This guy wasn’t old enough to be the psychopath heading up the Nero Organization. “You want me to believe Severino sent his own blood out here for my mate?”
“Your mate?” He raised a brow. “Interesting.” Clearing his throat, he went on. “If you care about her, you will find her a new doctor. I can assure you Dr. Granger has one mission alone, and it’s ours.”
A growl rumbled deep in my chest. “Why should I believe anything that comes out of your mouth?”
“Because today is your lucky day, wolf.” For a moment, the streetlight shone in his eyes. He squeezed them shut, opening himself to attack, and I had to wonder if he had a death wish. I’d be happy to grant it, but first I wanted to find out what he knew about Dr. Granger and the serum he’d been pumping into Nadya.
He finally met my gaze again. “Today my father eliminated someone I cared about.”
“What does that have to do with Nadya?”
“Nothing directly.” He tipped his head, cracking his neck. “Dr. Granger is reporting her progress to us. He believes this last dosage of his serum will allow her to complete at least a partial shift without the moon. I was sent to collect her and bring her back to our headquarters for further study.”
“You expect me to believe you’re Severino’s son, and instead of following his orders and abducting my mate, you’re out here in a ghost town…helping us?” I clenched my fists, readying for a fight as I pulled in a slow breath, checking for any scents surrounding us. “And no backup either…”
“I also drank most of the bottle of whiskey.”
I shook my head. “Are you suicidal?”
“No. Not really.” He tipped his head to the other side, the joints in his neck popping again. “I was just leveling the playing field.”
I laughed, circling him. “You think you’re that much better than me? Fatal mistake, asshole.”
“I arrived here with a mission, but…” His jaw clenched. “He’s gone too far this time.”
“Stop talking in god damn riddles and tell me what the hell is going on before I kick your ass all the way back to Nero.”
“You would already be dead if I wished it.” He shook his head. “I’ve decided not to complete this mission.”
I rushed him, slamming him in the chest and sending him flying backward. He hit the brick wall hard and slumped to the ground. I pinned him against the pavement, my forearm pressed against his windpipe. “You’d be dead if I wished it, asshole.”
He smiled, his bright white teeth smeared with blood. “You have the same technique.”
Would this guy ever make any sense? “What the hell are you talking about?”
His smile faded. “I already killed you once.”
Gabe.
I picked him up by the neck and held him up, his back to the brick wall, then buried my other fist into his gut over and over. Hot blood dripped from his mouth onto my arm before he finally sprang to life, landing an upper cut into my jaw. Stunned, I stumbled back, freeing him.
Sebastian gasped for air, spitting up blood between wheezes. I advanced on him again, punching his temple. “You ambushed my brother, but you’re not so tough without your jaguar claws.”
He glared at me, keeping my attention on his eyes. Suddenly he kicked my leg like a fucking truck hit it. I fell to the pavement, knocking the air from my lungs.
He stumbled backward. “I didn’t come here to kill you, or to be killed, wolf.”
“You murdered my brother.” I scrambled to my feet, favoring the leg he attacked. My calf muscle cramped. I ground my teeth, biting back the pain. “You’ll never be safe again unless you kill me.”
He spat blood on the cracked pavement without taking his eyes off of me. “Your brother crossed my path during a new moon while I was in jaguar form. Even so, he cracked my ribs. If I hadn’t ended him, I have no doubt he would have ended me. I defended myself.”
I started toward him, hoping I was masking my injured leg. “You never should have been in our territory.”
“I had a job to do.”
“Not good enough.” I lumbered forward, but he spun out of the way. My momentum almost sent me to the pavement again. I turned around to face him, hungry for vengeance. “Why did you even admit it? You had to know I’d make things right.”
“Will killing me bring him back?”
I didn’t want to think, I wanted to fight. I wanted to kill.
I wanted my brother back.
But that was never going to ha
ppen. Even if I killed this jaguar. Even if I killed a hundred jaguars.
Footsteps plunked up the hollow wooden sidewalk. Running. I smelled her before she turned the corner. Shit.
Nadya skidded to a stop. The streetlight glinted off the silver blade of my big hunting knife. She clenched the handle tight in both hands, moving between me and Sebastian. “Get away.”
Sebastian frowned and took a step in Nadya’s direction. I lunged in front, shoving her behind me. Pain screamed up my wounded leg. I didn’t fucking care.
“Leave her alone.”
He didn’t even look at me. His full attention was on Nadya standing behind me. “You look just like her, like Sasha.”
“How do you know my sister?”
He shook his head. “She can explain everything. There’s no time for that now.” He finally noticed I was close enough to wring his neck and put his hands up. “Wolf, your mate is in grave danger. The doctor has been lacing his serum with sedatives so it would appear that she is resting and getting better.”
“Why would we believe you?” Nadya asked.
“Because a few hours ago, my father ordered the elimination of an innocent woman I cared about. He made the decision without a discussion or a business purpose. He wanted to punish me, pure and simple, and so tonight, I want him to pay.” A muscle in his cheek flinched. He cared more about the woman than he wanted to let on.
I knew the feeling.
This jaguar killed my brother, the same jaguar who helped Aren, who knew Sasha. Did Sasha and Aren know he killed Gabe? Had my Pack been keeping secrets?
“Have you been giving my Pack information about Nero?”
“I’m no one’s informant.” The corner of Sebastian’s swollen mouth curved up. “I’m also far too intelligent to be my father’s mindless guard dog.”
“Are you telling me you play both sides of the field?”
“I’m telling you the only ‘game’ I care about is my own.” He wiped his mouth. “Do not let Dr. Granger inject your mate again. I tell you this in honor of your fallen brother. When I report back to Nero that I have not located her, my father will send another team to claim his prize. Be prepared.”
He turned and walked away, leaving his back exposed for attack. Maybe he was more suicidal than he realized. I couldn’t let him vanish knowing what he did to Gabe. I got two steps in before Nadya grabbed my wrist. “Gareth, wait.”
I glanced over my shoulder. “He killed Gabe.”
“I know but…”
Her hands trembled and she lost her grip on me. I spun around, catching Nadya before her legs buckled, the jaguar all but forgotten. Tremors wracked her body, her jaw clenched to bite back a scream. I scooped her into my arms, my pulse pounding in my ears. Rushing for the safety of our room, I did my best to keep from jarring her.
Once I had her inside, I laid her down on the bed and knelt beside her head, stroking her hair back. She didn’t move or speak, but her chest rose and fell with each breath. Unconscious, not gone.
Her fingers lengthened and my dread increased. Would she live through this? I had no fucking clue, all I knew was I wasn’t about to let death take her from me.
I reached for her hand and the wolf song rumbled in my chest. I chanted, closing my eyes. Watching her in pain stifled the peace in the repeated melody, and right now I needed all the calm I could muster. With her psychic gifts, my panic probably hurt her even more than it incapacitated me.
Claws cut into my hand, but my voice remained level, my eyes closed, my focus unshaken. I called to her wolf, singing in my mother’s native language, telling the wolf’s story of love and strength, each repetition cooling the fire of desperation smoldering in my gut.
Gradually I noticed my surroundings changing. We were on the deck of Sloan Consulting’s cabin at Lake Tahoe. She was wearing the same dress she’d worn for Aren’s wedding. And her skin almost burned my hands right through the fabric.
We were dancing, but no one else was around. The corner of the deck overlooking the lake where Logan’s band had performed during the wedding was empty now. The only music came from my lips.
Nadya looked up at me with tears in her eyes. “I’m not leaving you.”
“No, you’re not.” I kissed her forehead. Way too hot. “Stay with me.”
Her hands were normal again, but I couldn’t be sure if it was because this was only a dream, or if my dream walking was helping her. As I chanted, an idea formed. It might not work, but it was all I had.
I dipped her slowly. “Let’s go upstairs.”
She nodded in spite of her puzzled gaze. “All right.”
We went inside the cabin and up the stairs. My wolf chant continued somehow, like my body might still be chanting, but we were walking in the dream realm, in our minds. In the master bedroom, I led her into the bathroom. Aren’s company built the cabin with every luxury, including a Jacuzzi tub big enough for two.
I turned on the faucet, filling the bath with cool water. Once I had the jets on, I straightened. “The cool water might help, and hopefully the jets can massage your muscles and relax them.”
And stop the change, I hoped.
She nodded and turned so I could unzip the dress for her. After kicking off her shoes, she let the dress slide off, the fabric pooling around her feet. She wore nothing underneath. I took her hand and steadied her as she stepped into the tub.
Nadya gasped. “It’s cold.”
“It’s going to feel good once you get in. You’ll see.” The chanting continued around us as I coaxed her to sit.
She moaned, a shiver wracking her body, but she didn’t claw her way out, or shriek. Resting against the Jacuzzi jets, her eyes drifted closed. I watched her, and chanted. Her features softened, relaxation smoothing away the lines of pain. She appeared to be sleeping. I leaned forward to caress her forehead with my lips, relieved to find her temperature had dropped a bit. It was working.
My throat ached, raw, pulling me away from the dream. I blinked my eyes open and we were back in the hotel room. Nadya slept on top of the bed, her hands no longer wolf paws. Maybe I imagined it.
I got up from the floor, tentatively ceasing the chant. Nadya still rested. Perfect. I went into the bathroom and closed the door, but something made me stop. Blood dripped off the door knob onto the white tiled floor. Frowning, I lifted my hand. My palm was pierced in four places, each one with a deep bloody line following up my forearm.
Nadya’s hand had shifted fully into a wolf paw.
She was getting worse.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nadya
Watching Gareth pace around my condo was doing nothing to ease the tension. Between his stress weighing on me and choking on my own dread, I wanted to scream. The bandage on his hand swung into my line of sight with each stride he took. He’d heal, no permanent damage. Werewolves were a tough bunch, but far from immortal. A nasty infection could kill them just as easily as any human.
It wasn’t the injury that bothered me so much as how he got it. My hands had finally shifted without the aid of the full moon. I’d slept the next twelve hours, but in spite of the rest, the dense fog of exhaustion hung over me.
“We should call Jason.”
I glanced up at Gareth. “We will, but I need to talk to my sister first.” I gnawed at my lower lip. “How are you holding up?”
“My hand is fine.”
“I was asking about you, not your hand.”
He sat down beside me, his energy as frenetic as a caged wolf. “Your sister worked with the guy who murdered my brother. She had to know it was him. And no one said anything. No one did anything.” He clenched his injured hand, popping some of the tape on his bandage. “Gabe’s life meant something. He deserves justice.”
I slowly ran my hand up his thigh, wishing I could draw out some of his pain. “Do you want justice or revenge?”
His inner turmoil lined the corners of his eyes. “Sebastian was right when he said my brother was a good fighter. Gabe woul
d’ve killed him if Sebastian didn’t get him first. But Sebastian never should have been in our territory. Gabe was protecting what was ours.”
“Regardless of who is to blame, it won’t bring Gabe back.” I paused, waiting to see if he’d consider my words. “Sebastian didn’t have to give us the information about Dr. Granger. He gave it to you because of Gabe.”
“If it turns out to be true, I’m going to rip the doctor’s arms off and then not allow him the peace of death.”
“If Sebastian was telling the truth, I might let you.” I shook my head, squeezing his leg. “There’s a chance if we confront him, we might be able to force him to give us his research. Jason could go over it and find a treatment that will really work.”
“Sebastian is the heir to the whole Nero machine.What’s in it for him to help us?”
Before I answered, the door opened and Sasha came inside with Aren right behind her. I got up to greet her, blinking back a wave of dizziness. She wrapped me in her arms, holding me tight. Quiet tears spilled down my cheeks as I lost my grip on my bottled-up emotions and clung to my big sister.
“I came back as soon as I heard.”
“No.” Her guilt smacked me upside the head. “This isn’t your fault. I wanted you to at least get a couple of days for a honeymoon. There was nothing you could have done anyway.”
Aren clasped Gareth’s forearms in the traditional Pack greeting. “Thanks for taking care of her.” His gaze moved to the bandage. “You all right?”
Gareth nodded. “I’m fine.” He straightened and stepped back from Aren. “Had the pleasure of meeting my brother’s murderer. His name is Sebastian. Heard of him? He tracked us up at Virginia City.”
Aren froze for a second. You didn’t need to be empathic to see his shock and guilt.
“Holy shit.” Gareth shook his head. “You did know. Does Adam know, too?”
Gareth’s pain and aggression swamped me. I moved to stand at his side and slid my hand into one of his, grounding him.
“I’m sorry. For everything.” Sasha pressed her lips together for a moment. “Sebastian’s our only link inside Nero. We needed his intel.”