by Sydney Addae
Jasmine nodded and moved to look at the monitor on his desk. Silas pulled up the screen and stepped back. Much taller than he expected, the pup's dark hair and eyes could belong to any wolf. "Half-breed." Silas pointed to faint outlines of a tattoo beneath the short sleeves Quinn wore.
"Handsome," Jasmine said. "He and Jackie look good together." She pointed at the next picture with Nionis' back to the camera. "He's much taller than her. She doesn't seem to mind his rebel status or the way he's holding her."
Silas saw the pup's arms around his daughter's waist and grunted again.
Jasmine's gasp at the next picture and then delighted squeal aggravated him to the point he turned off the monitor.
"What's the matter, Wolfie? You didn't like seeing your princess kiss her prince?"
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Jackie rolled over, her feet tangled with Quinn's. Opening one eye she glanced at the clock on the nightstand and winced. Almost six in the morning. She moved slightly toward the edge of the bed, removing Quinn's arms and legs. Goddess had they been at it all night? Her stomach grumbled.
Hungry and naked, she got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Flipping on the switch she shook her head in remembrance of what they'd done in this room last night. Or was it yesterday afternoon? She couldn't remember. After taking care of her immediate needs, she turned the shower as hot as it would go, and stepped inside. The heat eased her abused muscles and washed away most of Quinn's scent. Smiling, she wondered what he'd say about that.
"Sorry about yesterday," her sister Renee said through their link.
"Yesterday?" Jackie had no idea what Renee meant.
"We were supposed to talk about... never mind, you don't remember so I take it back. What's going on? When are you going back to Texas?"
"Texas?"
"Your job, house, car all that stuff you were excited about, although... it sounds like something's changed. Spill. What's going on?"
Jackie stuck her head beneath the shower. "One sec washing my hair."
"That's all you'll get. I'm hip to your stall tactics. I'll wait."
Grumbling at her annoying sibling, Jackie grabbed the shampoo and conditioner to wash her hair. Yesterday's conversation with Mr. Bradley resurfaced. He hadn't been happy when she explained she needed time off and suggested he release her from her duties. He suggested she take the rest of the week and they talk again at the end of that time. She shouldn't have agreed but he sounded so hurt and disappointed that she would quit that she let it go and promised to talk to him soon.
When she was done, she wrapped towels around her hair and body. Looking in the large bathroom mirror she searched for signs of what? Being mated? Maturity? She blew out a breath, unwrapped her hair and worked on the tangles. "I met my mate and we've been getting to know each other."
"Ha ha. Very funny. Try again."
Jackie hadn't realized Renee wouldn't believe her. But given the problem with the others not knowing their mates she should have expected it.
"Wait," Renee said in a soft voice. "You don't joke about things like that. Seriously? I mean you met him? It's a guy, right?"
Relieved she wouldn't need to prove anything, Jackie shrugged. "Yeah, I told you about him. Quinn."
"The guy you met in Tennessee? The one Nionis said liked you?"
"Yeah, turns out she was right."
"But he's human."
Jackie heard her sister's confusion. "Human deep."
"Get outta here. For real?" Renee said. "He's a breed?"
"Yeah. He's amazing."
"I'll be there later today."
That snapped Jackie out of her romantic fog. "What? Why?"
"To meet him."
Frustrated by Renee's answer Jackie put down her comb. "Again, why?"
"Because you're my sister, to welcome him to the family and to make sure he understands he has to treat you right at all times. It's called an inspection."
"He's my mate, your inspection won't stop fate," Jackie said picking up her comb.
"I know, but I'm still coming. Question, do I tell Mama and Daddy or the boys or should I keep a lid on it?"
Jackie shook her head and closed her eyes. She wasn't ready for reality to intrude. Renee would come whether she agreed or not, chances are she'd do the same thing if their positions were reversed. But her parents? How would she explain him not being in the database? Plus, Quinn had no idea who she was; they hadn't gotten around to it. "I'm not ready to share him or whatever this is we have."
For a few moments, Renee didn't say anything. "Okay. After I meet him I'll hang with Nionis' a bit." She paused. "What's it like?"
Jackie heard the hope and excitement in Renee's voice reminding her of the time when she asked Renee the same thing about her first kiss with Tomas. "Let's just say I understand why Mama and Daddy still go at it like rabbits."
"Specifics," Renee demanded.
"Literal fire runs through you at his touch and it's always there beneath the surface. You're always hungry for more of him and his scent... it makes your panties wet."
"Wow, really?"
"Yeah and he's the only one who can help. Otherwise the need just grows and grows. I can see why it's hard to survive without your mate."
"It's half-living."
Jackie grunted her agreement and worked on the other side of her hair.
"Damn, I didn't feel that with Tomas. He was good, but nothing like what you're saying." Renee sighed and Jackie's heart went out to her. "I guess he's not the one."
"Your mate's out there, when you least expect it, you'll meet him," Jackie said praying to the Goddess her words were true.
"Yeah, you're probably right. Anyway, I'm sure David will go after Sarita once he learns about this. Don't keep it a secret too long."
Jackie hadn't thought about that and the possible repercussions for others. "Good point, I'll call Mama later today."
"After I arrive. Uncle Angus came home this morning on the jet so I can leave here in an hour and should be there after lunch. Go ahead and eat without me. I'll let you know when I make it to Knoxville."
"Okay. Love you."
"Love you, and I'm happy for you. Mama's going to be ... really happy."
"Daddy?" Jackie said in a dry tone.
"Depends on your mate," Renee said. "Believe me he'll be thoroughly researched."
Jackie's heart clutched. In the other room, Quinn's feet hit the floor. "I'm sure. Listen, I'll see you later." She disconnected and waited to see her mate in the light of a new day.
Bare chest and ass, Quinn strode into the bathroom and hit the water closet. Washing his hands, he met her gaze in the mirror and smiled. "Thank the Goddess, yesterday wasn't a dream." He shook the water from his hands and dried them with a paper towel as he walked to her. It took everything within her power to hold his gaze instead of looking at his incredibly long, thick, cock.
"I'm sure I've done nothing in life to deserve you as my mate but I'm grateful to the Goddess anyway." He took the comb from her and drew it through her springy curls. "Beautiful." Their gazes clung as he repeated the process of combing her hair, something no one other than her parents, nurse and sister had ever done.
Sister. Okay, she needed to tell him. "Um, my sister's coming today."
"She is?" His gaze never left hers as his hands massaged her scalp and neck.
"Mm hmm, that feels great," she murmured.
"How many sisters do you have?" he asked.
"Just the one. Litter mates," she added.
"Brothers?" He moved to her shoulders.
"Four, two are litter mates."
"Are you mentally connected to them? Your litter mates?" he asked.
She nodded. "Yeah, since nursery."
"Nursery? Interesting name, your mam's human?"
Jackie wasn't sure if now was the best time to get into this but since he'd opened the door and she sucked at lying, she'd walked through. "Yes, a breeder."
His hands paused for a few seconds and the
n continued. "Breeder, not half-breed?"
"She doesn't shift, can't mind-speak with us, just my sire and one other person, she's a breeder." Jackie didn't understand why his questioning her understanding the difference between the two bothered her but it did.
"Sorry, just surprised. Ramos' mam was a breeder. It's just odd to meet someone with the same experience that's all."
She turned and looked up at him. "How many have you met?"
He gave her a crooked smile. "Other than Ramos and now you, none. I mean I know they're out there, I just haven't met any others."
"I'm surprised your sire and mam aren't coming, are you close with them?" He took her arm, starting at the top massaged her muscles.
"Yes, we're close, I haven't told them. What about you? Have you told anyone?" She wasn't ready for the "my dad's La Patron" conversation.
He grinned. "Just Ramos when I told him I wouldn't be returning last night. He wasn't surprised. Nionis had already spilled the beans. She may have told your parents too."
Jackie shook her head. "Not a chance."
He paused and looked confused. "Why'd you say it like that? Are your parents going to give us a hard time? Not approve or something?"
"My father will want a full background check on you," she said watching him.
Quinn frowned. "He won't find me, I'm not in the system." He glanced at her. "Should I enroll so he can investigate me?"
She thought about it. It might work but her dad would still have questions.
"I was joking," Quinn said into the silence. "But you were thinking it over. Jackie, if I go into the system I can't help Ramos anymore. I wouldn't be able to come and go to help the kids at the ranch. We do all of that under radar, unsanctioned."
"You're not in the National database." Their gazes locked.
"No. Is that going to be a problem?" he asked.
She nodded. "Yeah, it is."
He frowned and took her hand. "Why? I don't understand."
Swallowing, Jackie looked away for a few seconds and then met his gaze. "My sire..."
She must have waited too long. "Go on, what about him?"
"He's La Patron."
#
Quinn stared into her bluish-green eyes and swore he'd misheard his mate. "What?"
"I'm Jackie Knight, daughter of Silas and Jasmine Knight, La Patron and La Patroness." Her voice strengthened at the end.
He stood, releasing her hand and without realizing it, backed away. A myriad of thoughts tumbled through his mind. Chief among them: his mate would be a widower before sunrise if what he heard about the callous hearted Alpha was true. "Your sire? La Patron? Head Alpha?" He needed to be sure.
"Yes. Is that a problem?" She crossed her arms beneath her breasts. For a moment, he simply stared at the towel covered globes, remembering their softness, taste. "Quinn?"
His gaze snapped up and met hers.
"Is it a problem?"
He ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. Since his parents died in an accident, Ramos had been the one stable person in his life. Pack was supposed to be about coming together for the good of everyone else but the only place he ever saw that was with his uncle and Antwan.
Not La Patron or his Alphas or other wolves. Full-bloods attacked and killed his sire. His mam died shortly after. Quinn had no love for most full-bloods and saw them as bullies. He didn't dislike La Patron with the same vitriol Ramos did but he had no respect for the man either. Breeds, like him, who didn't register in the national database were penalized by La Patron's death decree or picked off by the rebels. There was no safe place for those who wanted to live in peace apart from the national pack, which wasn't fair in his book.
Jackie stood and headed for the door.
"Wait." Quinn touched her shoulder.
She shrugged him off and glared at him to hide the pain in her chest. "I don't need this."
"I need you." He waved his hand. "The other stuff we... we'll work out." He wasn't sure how but losing Jackie wasn't an option he could explore.
"I love my parents, my family, Quinn. That's a problem for you, but they aren't going anywhere." Facing him she took a deep breath. "Look, what you and Ramos are doing is important, it needs to be protected. If we... if this mating thing didn't happen I'd be all on board for keeping quiet about it."
Quinn didn't like where this was going. When she remained silent he prompted. "But now, you're going to tell them?" He didn't mean to sound accusatory but his uncle and his uncle’s mate worked years, decades helping and saving innocent lives. La Patron wasn't known for his kindness when his orders were disobeyed.
She stiffened and stepped back, dislodging his hand. "Don't talk or think for me. What I was going to say, being mated I can't hide or dismiss you. If we are a couple --"
"We are." That wasn't up for debate. He took her hands in his and waited for her to finish her point.
"As my mate, you'll meet my parents, enter the Compound, and meet my extended family. There are a lot of us. I have two older brothers, Rone and Rese. They're breeds and help run KnightForce and the National database."
"Great." His stomach clenched knowing he would enter the wolf's den and possibly be devoured.
"They are great." She paused, and squeezed his hand. "Take some time, think about it."
"What?" Had he missed something?
"You didn't know, didn't sign up for this... meeting or being a part of La Patron's family."
"Facing criminal charges, entering his den, most importantly...mating with his daughter. No I didn't know but now that I do, I can't walk away from you." He pulled her into his arms and placed a kiss on top of her head. "It's not that I'm a rebel and fight against La Patron specifically." I've heard he was a cold-hearted, arrogant bastard, who destroyed those who disagreed with him and I don't want to be anywhere near him, he thought. "But I broke the law by not registering and that's a punishable offense. I can't bring that to Ramos' door. He's too important." Again, he remembered the stories of La Patron's abuse when he was a young pup and cringed. The bloodshed and killings of those who opposed him were legendary. "How do I protect my uncle from La Patron probing my mind and gaining information? That's what's worrying me. The man took me in and cared for me most of my life, I don't want my good fortune of finding you to be his down-fall." Which was true, just not all the truth.
She rubbed her face against his chest. His palm slid beneath her damp hair. He grabbed a fistful and pulled. Their gazes met for a brief second before he brushed his lips against hers. She shuddered and held him tighter. He took her mouth prisoner, deepening their kiss to banish the thought of her ruthless sire.
When they broke apart, he'd removed her towel, leaving them both naked, skin to delicious skin, in the middle of the room. "I can't give you up," he said against her mouth.
"I don't want you to."
"I need a lifetime with you," he said.
"Sounds like a plan, we'll work out the rest."
Quinn picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. Their clothes were scattered on the floor and the sheets were half off the bed. Releasing her slowly he turned toward the linen closet, and retrieved clean sheets. Together they made quick work of the change but that gave him a moment to think clearer.
"Are you the real reason we're in a safe house and not those rebels from the restaurant?"
She exhaled and he knew the answer. "Yes." She looked across the bed at him. "We've been trained since we came into our wolves to remain human deep when not at the Compound, even on pack lands. I'm not an ambassador for Daddy so he doesn't want pack to approach me on his behalf. It still happens because some recognize me from events with him and Mama. But his scent is strong and a variation of it runs through us."
Glad they were in the basement, Quinn nodded. "But he doesn't know."
"Nionis knows. I'm sure Chip, Nionis' security guy told Alpha Gilbert." She stopped, her hand flew to her mouth as her eyes widened. "Daddy knows," she whispered watching him.
&
nbsp; If fear rolled off her at that revelation, Quinn would've grabbed his mate and ran. However, what he sensed was surprise that she hadn't thought of those dots being connected. Neither had he, but he hadn't known about La Patron.
"Yeah, pretty sure he knows by now. He told your sister, right? That's why she's coming?"
Jackie shook her head slowly. "No, I told Renee. By the time she gets here, she'll figure out he already knows." She shook her head with a wry grin. "She's taking the jet. Of course they'll know why she's coming. I didn't think... neither of us was thinking straight. My parents know I'm mated."
"But they haven't said anything?" Quinn tried to get a handle on the Alpha wolf he'd heard horror stories about when he was younger.
"No. Which means he knows you aren't in the database." Concern clouded her gaze.
"He knows the Goddess mated you to a criminal." He tried to lighten the atmosphere.
"Not funny," she snapped. "It's been almost 20 years since the database went national and became a punishable offense in the past five."
"Again," Quinn said watching her closely. "It was a punishable by death offense before La Patron mated. After mating he relaxed the law."
"He didn't know about half-breeds then," she said defensively.
Quinn snorted. "Really? Ramos mother, Arianna, was around for decades. Breeds were everywhere, how could he not know?"
She crossed her arms beneath her breasts and glared at him. "Are you implying he knew about breeds and did nothing about them? Or that he was incompetent in his leadership by not knowing? Which is it?"
"Neither. It's a question. Only he knows the answer."
"Why don't you like him? Have you ever met him?" She sounded genuinely curious, baffled even.
"Not like him? I never said that. I've never met him and don't know him. Plus, no one knows your sire the way you do. He's a very powerful Alpha who's been around a long time. You don't remain in the top position without meeting challenges head-on." He shrugged. "People get hurt."
"Enough generalities," she snapped. "Did he do something to you? Your sire or mam?"