by Lisa Kessler
Jason scooped me up and carried me around my grandmother over to the loveseat. He held me in his arms even after he sat down, but his gaze was locked on Grandma Nani.
“You could have hurt her with your little test.”
She took her favorite chair. “Only if I had used the green nightshade berries. They were ripe. There was no real danger.” She sighed, staring at her hands. “I owe you an apology. It surprised me when the wind whispered that Kilani was changed. I thought she was lost to me.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ve been lost for more than ten years.” Part of me wanted to reel the words back in, but Grandma Nani didn’t seem fazed. Apparently it was going to take some time for the abandoned girl inside of me to heal.
She lifted her head. “I always believed you’d come back when you were ready and I would teach you our ways. You are my only grandchild with gifts. The last of my line. Every generation there are fewer of us left. If we don’t pass down our legacy, the Kahuna magic will be lost.”
“But you just proved she’s still got it, right?” Jason loosened his hold on me so I could sit beside him.
“Yes.” The candlelight flickered in Grandma Nani’s dark eyes. “And I will need her magic to help us get to the mainland.”
Jason and I glanced at each other and back to her. “You have a way to get us into the airport without being spotted?”
She smiled and nodded. “We will make it rain.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
JASON
“Rain?” I raked my hands through my hair. “How exactly is that going to help?”
Nani scooted forward, perched on the edge of her chair. “They can’t get weapons past the security checkpoint, so they must wait for us outside the airport. If we make a downpour, the water will keep your scent from traveling and alerting them, and everyone will be covered with umbrellas.”
I sat back, pondering her idea. “That could work.”
I wished we could just fly from Maui into the Honolulu airport and switch planes, but no doubt Nero had connections to check the manifest. They’d be waiting for us to land. We’d be sitting ducks. But our plan to fly into a smaller airport and drive over to the Honolulu International Airport was far from perfect. The lesser of two evils.
Kilani popped her bare foot out from under her and leaned in. “We could stay together under umbrellas. They’d never spot us.”
“Maybe not outside, but we’d be vulnerable inside waiting in the security line. We can’t wander around a busy airport with our umbrellas open.”
“If they come in, they risk being caught on security cameras or by the TSA officers.” Kilani kneaded the tension building in my shoulder. “It could work.”
Fear blew through my gut like a bitter tempest. I was fucking sick of not having any control over my life. Putting my trust for our safety on a Hawaiian rain spell did nothing to ease the frustration.
“You can bring Kilani up to speed on Kahuna magic by tomorrow morning?”
“Yes.” Nani winked at my mate. “She has the power. I will show her how to tap into it.”
I gave Kilani’s thigh a squeeze. “I need to check in with Adam.”
“Will he be…able to answer his cell phone yet?”
“They’re three hours ahead of us. He should be home by now.” I stood and headed out the door before anyone else said anything to me. Pressure pounded in my head. I should be reveling in my new mate, teaching her about her new abilities, not stomping around outside, aching to pick a fight.
Didn’t change a goddamn thing.
My cell buzzed in my pocket. Adam’s name flashed on my screen. “You beat me to it.”
“What the hell happened last night? When were you going to tell me?”
I frowned. “Tell you what? I was about to call you to make arrangements for our arrival at home tomorrow.”
“We can talk about that later.” Even through the phone, the Alpha command colored the sound of his voice. “You shifted alone, and you bit someone.”
My grip on the phone tightened. “How could you possibly know that?”
“I’ve told you before, since I ascended to Alpha, I sense things about the Pack.” His tone darkened. “Including our Pack numbers growing.”
“Shit. Did Gareth get this kind of reception when he changed Nadya?”
“I wasn’t happy that he didn’t warn me first, but we had already accepted her into our Pack before he bit her.”
I cracked my neck, my weight shifting between my feet. Punching something would’ve been amazing right about now. “Are you saying Kilani’s not welcome?”
A pregnant pause and Adam sighed. “Thank God.”
I ran my free hand down my face. “Please tell me what the hell is going on?”
“You shifted alone on an island with no native wolves. When I sensed you’d bitten someone, I didn’t know who it was. I didn’t know if your wolf attacked someone and now we had a rogue wolf in our Pack or what.”
“Give me some credit. I’m not stupid.”
“You’ve also never shifted away from the Pack.”
True. I took a breath.
“Sorry, man.” Adam’s voice lost the Alpha undercurrent. He was back to being my lifelong friend and Pack brother. “How’s she doing?”
“She handled it really well. Nothing like what happened to Nadya.”
“Good. We should plan a welcoming party for her when you get back. You’re still coming home tomorrow, right? Any sign of Nero?”
I nodded. “Yeah, we’re flying out as early as possible. Sebastian sent Kilani a text that Damian moved his team to the Honolulu airport. They know that’s our only way to the mainland.”
“Shit.”
“Exactly. Kilani’s grandmother has a plan. She’s a Kahuna.”
“She surfs?”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “No a true Hawaiian priestess, a Kahuna. She’s pretty amazing. But assuming her idea works, we still need to keep her out of Nero’s hands. Since they’re well aware of the location of the ranch, and my place, and Gareth’s garage…we’re running out of places to hide her.”
“We can put her up at a hotel and have her lay low.”
I stared up at the stars. “I was actually thinking of having her stay on the Paiute reservation with Chloe, Gareth’s godmother. Nero has no clue about Gareth’s ties to her. There would be no reason for them to be sniffing around by Pyramid Lake.”
“You want me to talk to Gareth.”
“Yeah. If he could get Chloe onboard, we could meet someplace public and pass Nani over to her. Nero would never find her, and they’d lose their bargaining chip with Kilani.”
I waited.
“I’ll see what I can do. Call me from Honolulu before you get on the plane and I’ll lay the final plan out for you.”
“Sounds good. Thanks, Adam.”
“Jason?”
“Yeah?”
“Congratulations, man.” The smile was plain in his voice. “You found your mate even though you didn’t believe they existed.”
I chuckled in spite of my worry. “Now I just need to get us home without being captured, shot, or both. Piece of cake, right?”
“Be careful.”
“Will do.”
When I opened the door to the cabin, Kilani and Nani stared up at me from bamboo mats on the floor.
“Everything okay?” Kilani moved to stand, but Nani grabbed her arm.
“Not yet. We still have work to do.”
“Didn’t mean to interrupt. How’s the rain-making coming?”
Kilani glanced at her grandmother and back up to me. “Still dry, but we’re getting closer.”
Her scent had intrigued me before, but now that her inner wolf had awakened, the attraction was even more intense. I clenched my fists to keep myself from grabbing her off the mat, tossing her over my shoulder, and carrying her to the futon in the bedroom.
“I’m going to try and get a little rest so I’m sharp tomorrow.”
�
�Okay.” She nodded, her cheeks flushed with color, her eyes sparkling with desire. Blood pumped through my veins, hitting me square in the groin. Never in my life had I wanted anyone so urgently.
“You should…sleep, too.” I shoved a hand in the pocket of my shorts, hopefully masking my raging erection.
Nani turned her head, gazing at each of us and shaking her head. “I do not think she can concentrate much longer with you so close by.”
I chuckled and forced myself to walk away. In the bedroom, I stripped down and dropped onto the bed, wishing there was a cold shower handy. I’d have to go back to the waterfall. Instead, I laid on the futon, a sheet draped over me, hard enough to pound nails, and prayed the Kahuna lesson would be over soon.
I dreamed of home. The full moon shined on Lake Tahoe. The Pack howled in the distance. I stepped into the cool, still water, staring at the silver moon in the sky, wishing for my mate. Something splashed to my right.
Kilani. Naked.
She approached me with a warm smile. Kneeling in the shallow water, she slid her soft hands up my calves. So real. Her fingertips glided farther up my legs. I growled as her feather-light touch teased even higher, barely tracing along the length of my erection until I ached for more contact. Her lips caressed my abs, her warm breath on my skin. I buried my fingers in her thick, silky hair.
Her teeth brushed my neck, her scent filling my lungs, and I tightened my grip, growling against her ear. “Dream come true.”
She lifted her head, moonlight shining on her face. “Shh. Grandma Nani just fell asleep in the front room.”
Although her body covered mine, I wanted to be even closer. Sliding my hands down her back, I gripped her ass, pressing her hips even tighter. But when I tried to roll her underneath me, she held her own, pinning me to the mattress.
She nipped at my bottom lip with her teeth, a sparkle in her dark eyes. “I’m already changing. My sight, hearing, and strength. So, mate…” That word had never sounded so damned sexy. She placed her finger over my lips. “I’ve wanted you all night, but I’m in charge, and you have to be quiet.”
I kissed her chin, her soft mouth, and smiled. “I can be quiet if you can.”
I slid one hand between her legs. She was wet and ready. I growled without meaning to. She hummed against my chest, nibbling at my nipple.
“You’re playing dirty,” she whispered.
“Did you want me any other way?”
She lifted her head, wearing a sultry smile that almost made me lose it before we began. “I love you dirty.”
Aw fuck. My mate was the sexiest woman I’d ever met. I needed to distract myself or things were going to be over way too soon. She started kissing lower, about to scoot out of reach, but I didn’t let her go. I shifted her hips up closer, toward me, my fingers working to make her scream.
At the moment, I didn’t give a shit who was sleeping in the other room.
Suddenly her lips slid over me, hot and wet down the length of my erection. I ground my teeth, struggling to keep the growl in my chest as her tongue teased the tip.
She sucked slowly as she glided up my shaft and whispered, “Shhhh…”
I grinned. Two could play this game. I gripped her thighs and lifted one leg, placing it on the other side of my head, opening her to me.
“Shhhh…” I kissed her mound, exploring her folds with my tongue. She moaned and laughed at the same time as she took me back into her mouth.
The more I pushed her toward her climax, the more she tempted me. We were both going to win…very soon.
She worked her mouth down my shaft a few more times and then sat up. Before I realized she was moving, she’d already shifted herself around, straddling my hips. I ran my hands up her legs, memorizing the perfection of her body in the moonlight. My mate.
I never had a clue I could love someone so much.
She lowered herself slowly, closing her eyes, her jaw dropping slightly in a silent moan as I slid deep inside of her warm body. I’d never be able to get close enough to her. She leaned down, kissing my lips as she ground her hips into mine. Against my mouth she groaned. “I hate being quiet.”
A breathless chuckle escaped me. “Me too. Once we’re home…”
“Lots of noise.”
I caught her lip in my teeth. “Definitely.”
Neither of us mentioned the danger or the chance we might not make it home. Tonight we were invincible. Her body contracted in my arms, her inner muscles clenching, taking me right over the peak with her. I held her tight, kissing her again and again as the aftershocks rocked us and the warm tropical breeze washed over our sweaty bodies.
“I love you, Kilani.”
“I love you, too.”
And for tonight, that was enough.
Chapter Twenty-Six
KILANI
We hiked out just after sunrise. I should’ve been exhausted, but between the afterglow of the amazing night in bed with Jason and the adrenaline of knowing trained guys with guns were waiting for me in Honolulu, I was plenty alert.
Jason led the way, I followed behind him, and Grandma Nani brought up the rear. He didn’t let either of us carry our bags. Apparently his concussion was healed, and he wasn’t going to let me help. I might’ve protested the alpha streak, but for now, I let him be.
My vision of him lying on the ground bleeding from a gunshot wound tormented me every time I closed my eyes. Having my hands free might make the difference. If I could hear the click of the trigger or see the sight on the rifle, I could shove him clear of the line of fire.
Or at least that was my plan.
Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that.
We reached my cousin’s Jeep and Grandma Nani raised a brow. “Your cousin loves that Jeep. He must’ve missed you.”
“I promised him we’d be careful with it.”
We climbed inside. My grandmother insisted on sitting in back, so I took the passenger seat beside Jason. He made the harrowing drive back down the road to Hana in pretty good time. My cousin had already arranged our flight back to Honolulu.
In an effort to stay below Nero’s radar, he bought the tickets to fly us into the smaller Kalaeloa airport on Oahu. It only recently started accepting commercial flights, and Nero would probably only be scanning the airline manifests from Maui to Honolulu International. We’d land a few miles away, undetected. A twenty-minute shuttle ride would get us to the main airport, and with the help of Grandma Nani’s downpour, hopefully we’d reach our plane to the mainland without incident.
Or at least that was the plan.
We pulled into the Kahului airport on Maui and texted my cousin. He met us in front of the terminal and I handed him the keys to his Jeep.
“You’re going to come back soon and buy me dinner, right, cousin?” He hugged me tight. I forgot how great family could be.
I nodded. “I definitely owe you.”
He turned and shook Jason’s hand. They were almost the same height—Jason had him by a couple of inches, but my cousin had some Samoan blood on his mother’s side, so even though he might’ve been a little shorter, he was solid and seemed larger than life.
“You take good care of my cousin and Grandma Nani.”
Jason smiled. “I’ll do my best.”
Grandma Nani embraced him, closing her eyes and murmuring to him in Hawaiian. She pulled away and held him out at arms’ length. “Aloha au iaoe.”
“I love you, too, Grandma.” He kissed her forehead.
She took our hands, stacking them before placing hers on top, holding them together. “Ohana. Nothing stronger than family.” Her gaze lingered on each of our faces. “Time to go.”
She dropped her hands and walked toward the small terminal. We all straightened, freeing our hands.
Once we were settled on the small plane, Grandma Nani on the aisle, Jason at the window, and me in the middle as a buffer, she took my hand, her expression all business. “We must prepare.”
“You told me all I had to do was
be open so you could tap into my energy, my spirit.”
“Yes, but I need you to start now. Clear your head of guns and dark visions and think of a tropical storm. Close your eyes and breathe it in. Smell it, feel the rain on your skin. Find your spirit within. You are Kanaka Maoli; let it bloom inside of you.”
I followed her instructions. Jason twined his fingers with mine, sensing my need for him, for our wolves to be joined. How all of this wove together with my Hawaiian spirit was a mystery to me, but his touch strengthened my concentration.
My honu came forward, his shell sparkling in many colors. He swam closer, and when I stared into the water, watching for him, my reflection startled me.
I was a black wolf.
The sea turtle poked his head up, tilting it each way, examining me from all directions. I leaned in, sniffing at the honu, recognizing the familiar scent of my childhood on Maui. The wolf and the turtle tested boundaries, the turtle snapping at the wolf’s paws and the wolf swatting at the turtle’s shell. Playing.
I fought the urge to open my eyes and break the spell. Grandma Nani had worked with me most of the night on my concentration. Today, I would be a conduit for her power, a source for her Kahuna magic to tap into to help her focus the clouds.
While I centered myself, she sat beside me calling on the ancestors, calling the Great Mother, asking for the sky to be dark, the storm clouds heavy with rain. Protection. By the time we landed in Honolulu, an otherworldly peace settled over me. I embraced it, praying this would keep me open for Grandma Nani’s plan to work.
I tried to be conscious of the scents around us, but I had no clue how I’d recognize Damian or any other jaguar shifter, since I’d never technically smelled them before, but I hoped if I got used to human scents, maybe our Nero friends would be “different.”
Jason was a man of few words today, his attention focused on the crowds and our surroundings. The way he stalked through the jungle and the airport, I never would have guessed he was a doctor. He moved like a warrior, ready for a fight. Every muscle tight, jaw set, eyes scanning. I did my best to keep up and stay out of his way, while struggling to maintain the peace and power of an open channel for my grandmother. A wobbly tightrope walk for sure.