Jenna could still turn back. If she turned around now they might even be back before Bruce started getting worried about where they were. But that wasn’t going to solve anything. If Jenna turned back now she was still going to be a human. The Assassins were still going to be in Rhodestown, and Saxon was still going to be a target that she wouldn’t be able to protect.
She had to go through with this if she wanted anything to change – if she wanted to feel adequate as a mother again.
After six hours of driving the buildings of Port Alfred came into view, and just after that, the strip of the ocean lined the horizon.
“Look, baby,” Jenna said, pointing for Saxon to follow her finger. “The sea.”
He looked, face full of awe, and then his expression changed.
“I can’t swim,” he said. And Jenna knew he wasn’t talking about himself as a boy, but as a bear cub. He would sink, and he knew it instinctively. Jenna’s heart constricted. Letting go of that, a small freedom that didn’t matter to her usually, suddenly seemed horrible to lose. Never swim again?
But there were bigger things. Jenna would make sacrifices for Saxon’s safety. For her family. She would sacrifice herself if it meant they would be safe. And in a way, she was.
They got out of the car when it parked close to the harbor, and she handed the driver a wad of bills. She’d withdrawn it two nights before and hidden it under a loose plank in the lounge. The driver looked at the money and nodded. It was more than he would have asked. It was all the money she’d made when she’d worked in El Verano – kept for a rainy day. And today it was pouring.
“Where are we going?” Saxon asked her again when the taxi pulled off and they were left standing alone on the curb.
“We are going to find someone who’s like you,” she said. Saxon frowned. “Can you sniff out another shifter?”
Saxon looked at her like he didn’t know her, but then he nodded slowly.
“Will you know if it’s a bear?”
He nodded again. “Are we allowed to be here?” Saxon asked. And Jenna knew that technically the answer was no. But she needed to do this.
“We can be anywhere we want, honey,” she said. “Will you see if you can find someone?”
Saxon looked at her for just long enough that she knew he was doubting her. It made her feel nauseous, made her feel like she was making a mistake. But there was no turning back. Not now that she was so close.
Saxon held up his hand so Jenna could take it, and then he started walking uphill. Jenna trusted that he was following a scent, but the truth was she didn’t know. They kept walking.
All the time they walked that nausea swirled in her stomach. Nausea born from fear. But this was the right thing to do. She couldn’t let her mind get to her now. Jenna’s skin crawled, magic flowing from Saxon up her arm from the hand she held onto him with.
“Are you okay?” she asked. When he turned and looked at her his eyes were the brightest green – shifter eyes. He nodded and they kept walking.
Jenna’s skin prickled all over her body. It was like the further they went, the more she felt the magic in the air, the power that washed over her even though it was daylight and it was the morning after new moon. The hair at the back of her neck stood and end and it felt like it tried to march down her back. She shivered.
Saxon suddenly stopped.
“Something’s wrong,” he said and looked around him like he was expecting to see something. They’d made their way through the town and they were between tall buildings. They stood in a narrow street. The wind blew from the front and Saxon breathed in deep like he was smelling the air.
“Mommy,” he said, but before he could say anything else someone stepped from a side alley into their path.
He was tall and muscular. He looked like a regular man aside from his build, with reddish hair and pale blue eyes. He smiled, but that smiled didn’t reach his eyes. He started walking toward them. The way he carried himself was like he was a lethal weapon, not a human being.
Jenna had seen that before. She recognized the movement, the build, the dead eyes. Nausea got worse, and Jenna realized it hadn’t just been fear. Her body had been warning her, her feelings had picked up and she’d felt the trouble. She should have listened to it. Instead, she’d written it off as a case of nerves.
Saxon clutched Jenna’s hand in a tight grip. He didn’t know what he was looking at, but he knew it was danger. Jenna could feel the different emotions hanging in the air, and she wondered who they belonged to. Fear, anticipation, panic, revelation, power and magic. None of those feelings were comfortable.
“Can I help you two?” the Assassin asked. “You look lost.”
“We’re alright,” Jenna said. Her voice was thin. The man looked at her, eyes so pale they looked like his irises were made of water. He frowned slightly like he’d gauged her wrong and he was trying to figure out what was going on. His eyes slid from Jenna to Saxon, and then recognition flickered through him. The shifter he’d felt was the child, not the mother.
Jenna knew that look, too. She’d had her experience with the Assassins. The scenario where she killed the Assassin that had been killing Tara flashed in front of Jenna’s eyes. The blade that swung through the air and connected with flesh and bone. The blood spraying them all like a horrific sacrifice. The feeling of terror in the air before their enemies finally fled. The pain, the shock, the sorrow. It all rushed back to her. And when she looked at the approaching Assassin’s face, there was horror on it.
“It was you,” he said softly. “You were the one that slayed him.”
Jenna realized he must have read her mind to know what she’d been thinking. It was to their advantage that he feared her now. At least, she could use it to get away. She knew this one was strong and she couldn’t save Saxon, who he would be after.
But then his face changed. The horror and the reverence drained from his features and hatred replaced it. His eyes went even lighter if that was possible for a human and the kind of look he gave Jenna reminded her of Tara when she’d still had something against her.
And it wasn’t a good look.
He started walking toward them again, and this time, Jenna knew they were in trouble. This Assassin wasn’t going to let his fear of what she’d done stop him. Instead, he used the hatred to propel him forward.
He drew his blade. It made a ringing sound as he unsheathed it, and the silver blade gleamed in the morning light that fell between the buildings. Saxon started backing up instinctively, and Jenna backed up with him. They had to get away. Saxon was too young to fight, and Jenna was too human. Again it was her downfall. Dammit.
Jenna didn’t want it to end here.
The Assassin started running toward them. Jenna stepped forward, shoving Saxon behind her to protect him. But the Assassin’s eyes were trained on her. He was running toward her, not Saxon. He was going to kill her. She could see it in her eyes.
A shock of power traveled through her from behind, a wave of magic curled around her, and she knew without looking that Saxon was changing. He’d either lost control or kick-started the change – did he know how to do that? – but he was turning into a bear. To protect her.
Jenna knew it instinctively. The Assassin lifted the blade and charged toward her. She could almost feel the Assassin’s target on her chest, over her heart, where he wanted to sink the blade in. It was like a homing missile. Saxon, a little bear now, clambered out from behind her. She wanted to stop him, but he was too fast. It all happened at the same time, the Assassin’s blade coming at her, Saxon stepping around her flailing arms, the magic and the hatred mixing to creating a terrible feeling. The pending death.
Chapter 5
Bruce woke up before sunrise, feeling like he was on fire. His skin burned and he felt flush like he had a terrible fever. But that wasn’t it. There was nothing wrong with him, he knew that.
Which meant that something else was wrong and he was feeling it. And if he felt it that strong it wa
s either Jenna or Saxon.
He rolled out of bed and his body felt stiff like he’d been in one position for much too long.
“Jenna?” he called through the house. “Saxon?”
No answer. He got up and walked to the door, opening it so that he was outside. The town was busy, people waving at him. He lifted his hand to return the greeting, but he’d already turned his focus inward, to the bond. Where were they?
Power surged through him, protective power. The kind of power that rose up when they needed help. His family was in trouble and he didn’t know where they were.
Bruce closed his eyes and sent out feelers. He searched for the bond that joined him to Jenna and to Saxon. He started with the forests, the mountainside, the plateau. When he didn’t have a return, he opened his mind and tried to get further, but he was limited to the valley. And they weren’t anywhere close by.
He ran out of the house and into the trees. Dwayne, he had to find Dwayne. The psychic’s range was a lot bigger than his, and he could find her. With Saxon part of the pack he could pick up on that bond, at least. And Bruce somehow knew they were together, even though he didn’t know how.
Bruce ran uphill. The muscles in his thighs screamed from the effort, but he kept going. His heart was pounding and the ominous feeling that something was wrong kept tugging at him.
Dwayne appeared as if summoned.
“I thought I had to get out here for a reason,” he said and Bruce was relieved the psychic had followed his own feelings, too.
“They’re gone,” Bruce said. “And they’re in trouble. I need to find them. I can’t reach them.”
Dwayne nodded and closed his eyes. He only did that when he was concentrating very hard. Bruce was wired, every muscle in his body clenched and aching. He had to find them, he had to help them before it was too late.
“They’re not close. They’re in Port Alfred. Jenna has gone there to find shifters.”
Bruce’s body went cold. He felt like his body was made of lead and for a moment, he couldn’t move, couldn’t think. Fear and anger and worry and pain rolled through him in waves until he wasn’t sure which one he felt.
“How did she know?” he asked. Port Alfred was a city with the highest number of shifters in the country. It was something about the layout of the city, the escape over the water if they needed, that drew them.
Dwayne shook his head. “She didn’t,” he said.
The thing was that Port Alfred also had the highest number of Assassins because of its shifter population. It was the most dangerous place to go.
“She has Saxon with her, doesn’t she?” Bruce asked. He was scared of the answer but at the same time, he already knew what it was. He turned and ran back down the mountain without saying anything. He didn’t thank Dwayne. He would do that later when everyone was safe and he could think straight again.
A car was going to take too long, buses even longer. But the train, if he got on the train he would be able to get there in about four hours. They train didn’t have stops and traffic lights in towns to worry about.
Bruce got to the cabin and grabbed a pistol that he shoved into his pants. He wasn’t going to take chances. When he left the house he was shaking. A car picked him up from the road and took him to Rhodestown Station. It was dangerous to be in town when the Assassins were there, but Bruce didn’t care. He would be gone again so quickly they wouldn’t catch up with him, and Jenna and Saxon needed him.
He had to stop her. He had to stop them both. This wasn’t about Jenna being a shifter anymore. This was about them both getting killed. Jenna didn’t know enough about what Port Alfred was like. Stupid woman, Bruce thought, burying his hands in his face when he was finally on the train. He half-hoped that she would make it to a shifter instead of being tracked down by an Assassin with Saxon and the amount of magic he threw off, but Bruce doubted it. An Assassin would smell the boy out so quickly.
Bruce hoped he wasn’t too late. He would rather have Jenna be a shifter than dead.
The train pulled into the station and the moment the doors open Bruce was out and running toward the station exit. He made it onto the road and turned in a circle, trying to feel. His panic was too much, he couldn’t find them.
He stopped and forced himself to calm down. It took long, too long, and he panicked again every time before he managed to find the bond. Finally, thought, he picked it up. It was at the same time it tugged so hard Bruce lost his breath.
They were in trouble.
Bruce started running, following the bond like a visible track. He cut through alleys, over plains, and between buildings until he was in a part of town that looked deserted despite the time of day. They were here somewhere, he could feel it.
Nausea hit him square in the face. There were Assassins here, too. Shit.
Bruce slowed to a walk and refined his search. His eyes fell on the entrance to a narrow road and he knew it was the right place. He walked forward. Instinct told him to stay away, that there was danger there and he was alone, without his pack to have his back. But Jenna was there. He felt her like a magnet.
And Saxon. A wave of power washed over Bruce, so strong it made it difficult to breathe. He’d felt that power before when they’d gone out into the trees to find Saxon a bear the very first time. Saxon was changing.
Bruce started running and turned into the street on time to see Saxon’s little cub jump out from behind Jenna and growl. It wasn’t a scary sound, but the magic behind it was so strong the Assassin the growl was aimed at wavered before he kept running.
He had a blade lifted over his head, and eyes trained on Jenna.
She was trying to get Saxon to stay back. But the Assassin was after her, not the bear. God help her, she was going to die.
Bruce didn’t think. His bear ripped out of him in record time, riding Saxon’s power. He roared and this time, it felt like the buildings around them shook. The Assassin saw Bruce and faltered for a second. Saxon took the opportunity and went for his legs. The Assassin nearly tripped over him but kicked the cub and kept going. Saxon made a strange sound and cowered.
Jenna turned to look at Bruce. The Assassin didn’t stop the way Bruce wanted him to, and the Assassin reached Jenna before Bruce could. He plunged that blade deep into her chest. Jenna’s eyes widened and she looked down at the blade like she was confused about why it was in her body. She gasped, and blood spilled out of her mouth in a waterfall that ran down her chin and dripped onto her shirt.
Blood bloomed around the blade. Jenna looked up at Bruce and her eyes were filled with pain and horror, and it broke his heart.
Saxon cried, making a godawful sound that cut through Bruce right to the bone. He ran to Jenna who started crumpling to the ground. The Assassin stood over Jenna, his eyes ugly and a manic grin on his face. Bruce didn’t wait. He ran toward the Assassin and tackled him down. His rage was blinding and he lost completely control. The animal took over and Bruce’s human stepped back, giving the bear free reign.
The Assassin had killed his wife. His mate. The person Bruce wanted to be with the rest of his life. He was going to pay.
Bruce roared with a deafening sound and grabbed the Assassin around his neck with his teeth, jaws clamping shut. The Assassin started to scream, but the sound was cut off when Bruce severed his airway. The Assassin gurgled when blood filled his lungs, and then his eyes rolled back and the body went limp. Bruce clawed at the face and trampled the body, taking all his anger out even after the Assassin was dead.
Finally, the human returned, and Bruce heaved and panted. The bear was starting to subside, and Bruce saw what he’d done. The Assassin’s body was a terrible bloody mess in the road. Bruce turned, shook himself. Saxon was standing over Jenna who lay on the floor, the blade sticking out of her chest and her face a sickening gray.
The bear retreated completely and Bruce changed back into a man. He had blood smeared across his face and his hands and his body ached like the rage had rubbed him raw. But none of that
mattered.
He ran toward Jenna and fell to his knees next to her. He put his hands on her face and tears streamed out of his eyes. The cub sat next to him, dazed.
“Come on, Saxon,” Bruce said, and almost like it was on command the little bear changed back to a boy.
Saxon sat on the floor next to Bruce and he was crying, sobbing so that his shoulders shook, but he made no sound. Bruce felt like he was tearing apart. Every part of him hurt, and it felt like someone had ripped his heart out. He put an arm around Saxon and the boy fell against him, burying his face in his side. Hot tears soaked through Bruce’s clothes and onto his skin.
How were they going to make it without Jenna? How was he going to carry on? How was Saxon going to get through it?
Somewhere in the distance, Bruce heard sirens. Someone must have called the police, hearing the roars. They had to get out of there if they wanted to be safe. But Bruce couldn’t leave Jenna’s body there for someone else to find. He couldn’t go home without her. Saxon was still crying against him, heartbroken sobs.
“We have to go, Sax,” Bruce said and his voice was hoarse. Saxon shook his head against Bruce.
Bruce leaned down to wrap his arms around Jenna’s shoulders. He was going to pick up her body and take her home where they could bury her where she belonged. When he leaned forward his face was close to hers. When he lifted her shoulders a small breath escaped her mouth and her eyes fluttered.
Bruce stilled. Jenna wasn’t dead. She was still alive.
He pressed two fingers against her neck to find a pulse. It was very faint, but it was there. She wasn’t dead.
“Oh my god,” he said. Saxon lifted his head away from Bruce and noticed his dad lean over Jenna, not crying anymore.
Bruce looked her over, tried to assess the damage. But it was too much. She wasn’t dead yet, but she wasn’t going to live much longer. There wouldn’t even be time to get her to a hospital. There was no time to save her.
BAD BOY ROMANCE: DIESEL: Contemporary Bad Boy Biker MC Romance (Box Set) (New Adult Sports Romance Short Stories Boxset) Page 106