by Sydney Addae
“He had just stepped outside when the bomb went off,” Tyrone said. “Hawke thinks he went airborne.”
Jasmine closed her eyes. He had mentioned stepping outside when they’d been talking.
“Cameron’s here, he’s got questions,” Jacques said. “He has no idea Silas and the others left.”
“What do you want me to tell Adam?” David asked. “He woke sensing something’s wrong. Jackie probably will too.”
Jasmine met the concerned gazes of her family and shook her head. “Give me a minute.” She left the kitchen, headed for the bedroom, and closed the door behind her. She ran into the bathroom, leaned against the closed door, her knees buckled in agony as she cried on the floor.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
LUCIAN SALDIVAR LOVED running alone at night through the forest after work or when he had free time. Here he was free to think and dream. No one yelled or called him “Runt” a name he’d long outgrown but his Uncle enjoyed reminding him of the time he wanted to forget. He stopped and looked at the darkening sky.
Rain.
Possibly thunderstorms he thought as he changed directions and started for the cozy home he shared with his sister. Raven worried when he came home late which made him smile. She worked in a full-blood bar with a violent gang as customers and she worried about him.
Their Uncle Rick was a hard, unforgiving task-master with his hands in too many pies. He insisted Raven work at the bar to keep an eye on her. Lucian believed the man wanted at least one honest employee he didn’t have to pay much.
Once their Uncle realized he and Raven wouldn’t do anything illegal, he’d tried expel them from the Sup’s. Several pack members vetoed the idea because of Lucian’s loyalty to the pack. Several pack members wanted an Alpha challenge which the older wolf didn’t want.
Lucian believed that scare pushed his Uncle into an alliance with a military guy named Franz. They spent a lot of time together working on improving full-bloods. His litter-mates Tasha and Duke were deep into the experiments, and taking drugs. Tasha barely had control of her beast and Duke seemed high most of the time. Lucian worried one day one or both of them would die because of that poison they took. Not that they’d listen to him, he warned them against messing with their beasts until they begged him to leave them alone.
So he did. He and Raven moved away from the main house to a smaller house at the edge of pack lands.
Lucian tripped over a log and fell to his knees, coming face to face with a dead human. Shifting to human, he shuddered as cold droplets of rain pelted his skin. He sniffed.
Not human. Wolf. No. Human.
Frowning he looked at the black-haired man who appeared asleep. Wolf or human? Lucian was unsure. The first drop of rain slid down his forehead onto the face of the man.
Uncertainty plagued him. They were forbidden to have dealings with humans, although few heeded that warning. He looked around hoping to hear someone calling in the distance, but heard nothing but the whistle of the elements. Could he leave this one here to die in the storm?
Thunder boomed in the distance. Lightning split the sky. Standing, he picked up the man and took off running.
LUCIAN WALKED OUT THE shower with a towel around his waist. Raven stood over the man lying on the sofa in their front room.
“I’ve seen him,” she said slowly, looking over her shoulder at her brother. “He’s the human I told to leave the bar, the one who gave me the 100-dollar bill.” She faced Lucian. “Where did you find him?”
“In the woods, a few miles west of here.” He looked at the man again. “So, he’s human then?”
She clicked her tongue at him. “Of course, what else?”
“Not sure, for a second back there... it was nothing.” He walked to his room in the back to get dressed.
“Another one of your feelings? Are you having those dreams again, the big black wolf dreams?” she asked following him.
“Yes and no.”
She snorted. “Don’t let Tasha or Duke know. Tasha swears by your feelings and Duke will just press you to get more involved in pack business. He swears you’d be a natural, rise to the top.”
Lucian had heard it all before. “Not interested in going to prison.”
“Hardly likely. No one gets arrested here,” she said. “Uncle owns the Policia and the politicians. Money is god.” She headed into the kitchen. “Come eat and tell me what you plan to do with the human.”
Lucian glanced at his house-guest again and sat at the table. “I have no plans for him. There’s a storm outside, I couldn’t leave him lying on the ground. Plus, he gave you a nice tip.”
She placed a plate of food in front of him. “Security might scent him and stop by. Be ready to explain his presence I doubt the tip excuse will work. We don’t need to give them any reason to kick us out.”
“Us?” He eyed her. “Not you. I did this. I couldn’t leave him —”
“Neither would I,” she snapped. “It’s both of us. I didn’t see any blood or bruises, hopefully he’ll wake soon and leave. Or we can take him back to his hotel, somebody’s probably looking for him.”
He nodded and ate in silence. Had he sensed a wolf earlier? Lucian was certain he had. It was as if it flipped back and forth between human and wolf, which made no sense. He must have gotten it wrong. Then why does it feel that he was right?
“Stop thinking so hard,” Raven said.
He smiled and took another bite. “Should I leave him on the couch or put him in my room?”
She looked in the direction of the living room. “I’d leave him in case something’s wrong that we can’t see.” She frowned. “He doesn’t smell sick.”
Lucian paused. “No, he doesn’t smell much at all.”
She met his gaze with a puzzled frown. “You’re right, he doesn’t. Strange for a human. Maybe it’s because he’s unconscious.”
“Seriously?”
She chuckled. “You got a better explanation?”
He thought for a moment and shook his head. “No. No I don’t.” Moments later he finished eating, cleared his plate and went to clean the kitchen.
Raven stopped him. “I’ll do this. Go ahead, get settled, this may be a long night if he wakes. You’ll need to take him to town or wherever he’s staying.”
Tired, Lucian rubbed his neck and nodded. “Good point. I’d hate to drive all the way near the bar, but if that’s where you saw him, he might be staying near there. Thanks, I’ll get some sleep.” He headed to the back while she went into the kitchen. Exhaustion hit him hard. As soon as his head hit the mattress he was asleep.
He dreamed.
He dreamed of a big black wolf.
“Hello, Grandfather.”
“Hello, Lucian.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
JASMINE WATCHED THE sun rise with a burning hope in her chest that Silas would heal soon and speak or whisper or sigh or give any response at all. This silence weighed heavily on her shoulders. She never fully realized how much she depended on his constant presence until now. Over the past several hours she’d known loss in a way she’d never experienced. David and Renée shadowed her, both in hopes that she would hear from Silas and to make sure she wasn’t alone. There was a chance David didn’t want her anger to spike but she wouldn’t think about that.
“Breakfast, Mom?” Renée called from the kitchen.
Even though she had no appetite, she would need energy to make it through the day. So far, they’d put the Alphas off but the longer Silas was off-line, the more likely they would know something was wrong and would seek answers. Jasmine and Jacques hoped Silas would regain consciousness, which would at least reconnect him with the pack. She wasn’t ready to think of the alternative.
“Yes, be there in a minute.” She wiped the trail of tears from her cheeks while wondering when she would stop crying. “Not anytime soon,” she muttered. The idea of Silas being in an explosion and sent flying through the air sent chills down her spine each time she thought of it. Tear
s were never far behind.
She went into the bathroom, washed her face and put on a clean tee-shirt with a pair of jogging pants. “Something smells good,” she said entering the living area.
David smiled as he leaned close and kissed her cheek. “Renée did most of it. I think she’s ready to do the homemaker thing.” He winked at his sister who snorted.
“Boy, please. I just want the wedding not the rest of it. Not now anyway.” She placed a tall glass of sweet tea in front of Jasmine and pushed the plate of pancakes close. “Bring the bacon and sausage.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” David said mocking her.
Jasmine laughed at their antics and it felt good. Almost normal. Silas would enjoy this. Her throat tightened at the thought of him alone in the woods, fighting to live.
“Mom. Mom, it’s okay.” Renée wrapped her arms around Jasmine and held tight. “Jackie and Quinn are on their way. Adam and Bella will be here later today. We’ll get through this. Whatever you and Daddy need, I promise we will get through this.”
Jasmine sniffed and tried to smile as she patted Renée’s arm. “Thank you, baby. Now let’s eat, we’re going to have a long day ahead of us.”
Renée leaned back and met Jasmine’s gaze. “Alright. But you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. That’s one of the perks of being in charge.”
Jasmine chuckled. “Being in charge means doing things I don’t always want to do. But I understand what you mean.”
David took a couple pancakes and meat. “I spoke to Grandfather, he promised to help. Have you talked to the Goddess?”
“I’ve prayed, She’s aware of what’s going on. He’s regenerating, based on what Hawke explained, Silas took a big hit being outside near the explosive and Angus was standing almost in front of it inside. He’s still not responding well.” She took a long sip of tea and winked at Renée. “Perfect.”
Renée grinned and took a bite of sausage.
“The rain didn’t help,” David muttered.
Jasmine reined in her exasperation over the weather. “By the time Hawke’s legs and arms were healed enough to move about, he had to work on Angus. Rese and Rone spent a couple hours helping to get Angus’ wolf to the point it could begin healing his human side.” She paused at the memory. “There were times we thought we lost him. He stopped breathing. I can’t imagine...”
David covered her hand. “He pulled through. His wolf is healing his human side which takes longer but he will heal. Just like Daddy’s wolf is healing him. They will both heal and come home.”
Jasmine nodded and squeezed his hand. “I know you’re right. My head tells me that all the time, but my heart... I need to hear him, touch him if only with words. My soul needs to touch his again.”
“You will, Mama. You will,” David said as he rose and hugged her close.
She inhaled the scent of her children and thanked the Goddess for them. They kept her grounded when her natural inclination was to fly off in a rage, to punish someone for what happened to Silas. The hugs, kisses, encouraging words were balms against her beleaguered spirit.
“I know, baby.”
“Mistress?” Asia reached out to her through their link.
“Yes? How’s Hawke?” Jasmine prayed he didn’t have a relapse, he was Silas and Angus’ main shot of leaving that place. Late last night he found an old house tucked away in the mountainside and took Angus there to heal in case their enemies returned.
“He’s almost at 80%. Angus is still at 50% and angry over the delay. He wants to hunt for La Patron right now even though he’s in wolf form. Hawke’s having a hard time keeping him confined. Is there any way for you to speak to Angus, to calm him? Hawke can’t leave him like this, the storm is over but it’s wet and muddy. Not ideal for a wolf at 50% of his strength.”
Jasmine thought about it for a few seconds. “I can piggyback with Shyla, I’ve done that before. I’ll have her come here, or I’ll go to their quarters and speak to him.” She paused. “Does Hawke have any idea which direction Silas went?” Jasmine didn’t want to push the search, after all someone did try to kill them and may try again.
“He’s ruled out the directions La Patron couldn’t have gone and plans to start searching as soon as Angus calms down.”
Jasmine pushed back from the table, startling her kids. “I need to talk to Angus, he’s stopping Hawke from going out to search.” She stood and headed toward the door. “Call Shyla, let her know I’m on my way.”
JASMINE INHALED DEEPLY, tucked her hair behind her ear, took one last glance in the mirror and walked out the door. In the living room, Jackie, her mate Quinn, Renée, David, Tyrone, his mate Rose, Tyrese and his mate Danielle sat talking softly. They looked at her as she entered.
“Ready?” Jasmine asked, as her gaze lit on each of them.
“Yes,” they said or either nodded.
“Good let’s go. Jacques has everything set up, so there’s seats for everyone.” Her gaze lingered on Quinn who volunteered to remain behind in Jackie’s room during the meeting.
He smiled as he nodded.
Jasmine headed toward the door. David moved quickly, wrapped his arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear. “You look gorgeous, and powerful. I’m so proud you’re my mama.” He kissed her cheek and stepped back to walk behind her. Jasmine looked over her shoulder at them as they lined up behind her. She understood the gesture of their support and nodded because she couldn’t speak around the lump in her throat. Instead she straightened her spine, and walked toward the elevator to head to the conference room.
Inside the conference room the large monitor flickered on. Several Alphas were checking in, she heard echoes of their comments as they searched for the connection to Silas. Her children sat along the wall as she and Jacques sat at the table.
As each Alpha checked in, Jasmine tightened her link to them, surprising many. Once the last voice stated present, the room fell silent and they looked at her. When Jacques suggested she have this meeting with the Alphas, initially she refused. In her mind Silas would be fine within the hour and on his way home.
That was six hours ago. Six hours with no verbal response from her mate had been torturous. Jacques explained the Alphas were also feeling the loss and were concerned. It was better to address the issue rather than allow uncertainty to foster and grow.
“Hello Alphas.”
“La Patroness.” A few responded with various manners of address but all stared in anticipation.
“Silas was on an expedition, yesterday the house he was staying in exploded. He, Angus and Hawke were inside.” She held up her hands as the Alphas yelled outrage, battle bulked to fight, and asked questions. “Gentlemen, refrain from interrupting me.” She spoke the words in a moderate tone but they heard the steel beneath. One by one they settled and met her gaze.
“Hawke is one of the best hunters in the Nation and is searching for Silas. Once Angus has recovered he will join Hawke.”
“Where is he?” an Alpha shouted. “We will bring our Alpha home.”
Jasmine leaned forward, clasped her hands on the table and stared at the Alpha who spoke. “Alpha Stone from the great state of California, right?”
He straightened in his seat. “Yes, Mistress. I am honored you remember me.”
Jasmine smiled. “Of course, I remember all those who serve my mate and I.” She paused to allow her words to settle. “But let me make this clear. No one is going anywhere until I deem it’s safe. There are matters involved in La Patron’s expedition that you don’t know about, it’s a highly sensitive situation.” She thought of the bracelet and the havoc it would cause if it fell into the wrong hands. She held up her hand to stop his response. “We know every one of you would give your life to find Silas... we know that and appreciate it more than you know. I’m telling you now is not the time. I will not allow anyone to jeopardize Silas’ original mission or his return home. Is that clear?” her voice sharpened at the end.
They were slow to ag
ree. Her eyes itched, she knew they changed colors. She slapped the table and pointed at them. “I will say this once more,” she growled low in her throat. “Is that clear?”
“Yes, Mistress.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Yes, La Patroness.” The responses came faster and she listened to make sure each person agreed. “If you have a problem with what I’ve just said, save your complaints for when Silas sits in this chair, in the meantime listen to what I’m going to share with you and keep it to yourselves.”
This time they agreed immediately.
Jasmine shared what happened with the Knights and the Joint Chief’s role and their calls to make things right. “They don’t know Silas is not here. Staff don’t know either and we will keep it that way as long as possible.”
“Who did it if not the government?” an Alpha asked.
“We don’t know. Hawke thinks it was a case of mistaken identity, there were no triggers that someone had been on the property or inside the house.” She refused to replay the explosion in her mind, now wasn’t the time to get weepy, she needed to get through this meeting and check in with Angus and Hawke.
The Alphas discussed the possibility of who attacked Silas and Hawke’s perspective for several minutes giving her a mental break.
“How is Angus. A blast like that could have killed him,” Alpha Theron asked concerned.
Jasmine inhaled and met his sympathetic gaze. “Almost did. The twins worked on him with Hawke for a while, until his beast stabilized. His human side is still broken and healing.”
Alpha Theron nodded. “Thank the Goddess.”
“That’s what’s going on with Alpha. His beast is strong, he’s healing. Wherever he is, his beast is working to heal him,” Alpha Lyle said with confidence. The others nodded, the mood shifted. They appeared more confident that Silas would survive whatever befell him and that was a good thing.