Jacob's Ladder (String of Fate)

by Bianca D'Arc

  He had been born to protect the Nyx.

  Only she was going to be a hard woman to convince. But that was okay. Jake liked a challenge.

  “And you, my young friend,” the captain turned to him, Ria still tucked familiarly under his massive arm. “I am glad to see you live up to your reputation. Sam told me to give you whatever you wanted and let you do your thing. We shall dine together tonight and I will grill you mercilessly for all your secrets.” He gave a booming laugh and finally released Ria, who was actually giggling.

  “He means it too,” she added. “Uncle Ed has probably forgotten more about interrogation than we’ll ever know.” That she dared to tweak the older man’s pride with such casual teasing meant there was a history between them.

  Jake calmed a bit at the way she referred to him—twice now—as her uncle. Perhaps his familiarity was merely a paternal sort of affection based on a shared past. Somehow that was easier to take than the idea that she was attracted to the huge shifter.

  Jake merely nodded, unsure how to respond. He had met the captain only briefly before setting off on his mission to rescue Ria. He’d known the man was extremely skeptical and really didn’t understand why Sam put so much faith in a mere human, but he hadn’t had the time or inclination to explain. Jake had learned over the years that actions often spoke louder than words.

  Nobody had known why exactly Jake had needed to borrow Sam’s helicopter and yacht. Not even Sam. It was a testament to their friendship that Sam hadn’t asked questions when Jake called in the middle of the night and asked for the huge favor. Not even the captain had known where Jake was going or who he would be bringing back, but it had worked out even better than Jake had hoped. Not only did the older man have sympathy for another shifter in trouble, but he knew Ria and held her in high regard if his reaction was anything to go by.

  A ringing tone sounded through the bridge. There was a woman at one of the consoles who quickly accepted the transmission. Jake hadn’t seen her before, but he knew she was probably another shifter—one of Sam’s kin or staff, or both.

  “Captain, it’s a call from shore asking for someone named Jake.” Her delicate eyebrow rose as she looked in Jake’s direction. They hadn’t been introduced so she was just putting two and two together. Smart girl.

  “That’ll probably be my man on shore, reporting in about Ria’s people,” Jake said in a low voice, knowing the shifters all had superior hearing. No need to shout around these people.

  “Put it on the speaker please,” Ria ordered, leaving Edvard’s side to move closer to the woman and her console of complicated controls.

  Jake moved next to her, touching her arm. “Are you sure you want to hear this?” Jake knew in all likelihood, she had lost friends in the action tonight. His watcher likely wouldn’t know she was listening and wouldn’t soften the words of his report.

  Ria’s eyes closed for a single moment as she seemed to steel herself. “I must.”

  He had to admire her strength, even if he disagreed with the idea that she had to face everything alone. She would soon learn that he would be at her side, ready to share her burdens…for as long as she would let him.

  “All right then.” He nodded to the woman and she flipped a switch.

  “You’re on speaker,” the woman said softly.

  “Jake?” A man’s voice came over the speakers in the wheelhouse.

  “I’m here. We’re safe. What happened after we left?” Jake almost dreaded the casualty report, but he needed to know what the enemy had done after their prize had been stolen out from under their noses. The enemy’s reaction would dictate his next move.

  “As you might expect, once they realized she was gone, they left rapidly. Only a small crew remained to sift through the scene for clues as to where she might’ve gone. I don’t think they found anything. They hung around for a while, but left after reporting in their lack of progress. I believe you got away clean.”

  “What about casualties?” Ria blurted. Jake understood the slight edge of desperation in her tone. From what he understood, her Royal Guards were also her dear friends, with her every day, at all times. Losing one would be like losing a member of her extended family.

  “Three injured. One seriously. I took the liberty of helping them out of the warehouse and giving them a hand finding an understanding shifter medic.”

  “Who are you?” Ria breathed, confusion and relief warring in her voice.

  “Sorry, ma’am. My name is Ben. Jake can tell you more. I’ve been aware of your existence for a while and am happy to be able to help. Your people are safe. I can give you a call back in about an hour from their location if you want to speak with them.”

  “I would love that. Thank you, Ben. And thank you for helping my friends.”

  “It’s my pleasure, ma’am. Glad I could be part of this op, in even a small way. I’ll call back in 57 minutes. Jake, if you need anything else, you know where to find me.”

  “Roger that. Thanks, Ben. Call before if there are any changes.”

  “Will do.” He hung up without much further ado and the line went to static before the female shifter at the console turned off the speakers.

  Ria sagged with relief. “I thought for sure I’d lost Bronson. He was so green. Fresh from training and only in my employ for a few months.”

  “Ben said he was injured. He’s not dead and he’s getting medical help. He’ll be okay,” Jake tried to console her. He really wanted to put his arm around her shoulders the way the captain had earlier, but he was afraid she would pull away. It was too soon to take liberties…even small ones like that.

  Jake knew he had to be patient. She shared her soul with a cat and the panther inside her was going to be harder to convince than the human—or so he feared. He had to approach her slowly and let her get to know him. Let the cat come to accept him.

  And then she turned toward him and walked straight into his arms.

  Or maybe he was all wrong about the cat thing. Maybe she just needed to be held after the ordeal she had been through tonight. Jake hugged her close, resting his head above hers, allowing her to draw comfort from his embrace as he nearly forgot to breathe at having her so close.

  She felt so right in his arms.

  “Dinner is ready,” the calm female voice intruded on their moment and Ria pulled away. Jake wanted to curse the efficient woman who was still manning her console, but he had to let Ria go.

  “Come on,” Ed’s voice reached them across the length of the bridge. He had moved toward the doorway and was waiting for them. “Some sustenance will set you right again, my girl. And after that, your friends will likely want a word with you and you’ll find all is well before seeking your bed for the night. Things will be brighter in the morning.” He smiled at his own words as he ushered them out of the wheelhouse and down toward one of the dining areas on the gigantic yacht.

  To say the yacht was luxurious would be an understatement. They were led to a dining area that was just one of many on the big ship. This one was open to the night air on the stern, and more casual than Ria had expected. The gentle motion of the ship was soothing as she sat and the first course was served.

  The plates were fine china and the goblets crystal. The silverware wasn’t silver, but what looked like it could be either a very thick gold plate or perhaps even solid gold. If anyone could afford such things, it would be Sam Kinkaid, Texas oil baron and—through a strange quirk of fate and heritage—king of all lion shifters.

  They ate quietly at first. Ria realized only as the steaming hot beef soup was placed in front of her that it had been quite some time since her last meal. Her inner panther appreciated the successive courses, which all had some kind of meat or fish involved in their creation. It was a feast fit for a carnivore, which probably was most of the crew, now that she thought about it.

  Edvard was a selkie—he could turn into a seal and had very magical powers compared to other kinds of shifters. There were probably a few other selkies am
ong the crew, and a bunch of lions as well. The jury was still out on the soldier who had met them at the helipad, though she was leaning toward thinking he was a tiger. If she saw him again on this giant yacht, she would try to find out if her guess was correct.

  Ria began to slow down as the food began to really hit her digestive system. Her body was glad of the sustenance and now that it was sure more was on the way, she was able to slow down a bit. She looked up from her plate and realized the men had been talking quietly around her while she was focused so completely on the delicious food. She wiped her mouth with the snowy white linen napkin and met Edvard’s gaze with a small, slightly self-conscious smile.

  “My apologies, gentlemen. It has been a while since I last ate. Please forgive my poor manners.”

  “Nonsense, lass,” Edvard answered heartily, sending her an understanding smile. “Feed your beast and then the human side can try to reason out our next move.”

  “Our next move?” She emphasized that first word as she repeated the phrase. “I hadn’t realized you intended to do more than you already have. Believe me, I’m entirely grateful that you were able to offer us a safe haven for the moment, but I don’t want to bring even more danger to your doorstep…or gangplank, as the case may be.” She looked around at the yacht with a bit of humor. Edvard smiled back at her.

  “Danger is my middle name,” the older man scoffed. “Didn’t I tell you that way back when we first met?”

  He had, in fact, said exactly that to her all those years ago. It was a running joke with them and it felt good to be reminded of those early days when her burdens weren’t quite so great.

  “Nevertheless, you need to realize that giving me safe harbor could put you and your crew in real danger. I have been pursued most of my life, but the action lately is worse than it’s ever been.” She didn’t understand what had caused the recent escalation, but there was no denying things had gotten exponentially worse for her since her aborted attempt to move to New York City a while back.

  Her cousin, Cade, had found his mate during that debacle, so that was one good thing to come out of it. But others had been lost. Precious souls. Friends. And Cade had his mate to think of now. He no longer served as one of Ria’s Royal Guard. He was too busy taking care of his mate and setting up a home for them both.

  Cade’s partner, Mitch, had also been lost to her service at the same time. He had been gravely injured. Poisoned, in fact. He had almost died—and would have—if not for the attentions of the woman he had discovered and claimed shortly thereafter. His new mate, Gina, was not only a doctor, but born and bred tiger shifter royalty.

  Mitch had been touched by the Goddess during his healing and had somehow ended up becoming the Tig’Ra—the tiger shifter king. He lived in Iceland now, at the traditional seat of tiger shifter power, on the side of an active volcano. He also had a penthouse in New York and he and his new mate were working hard to clean up the mess left behind by the usurper who had ruled over the tiger Clan by deceit for decades.

  “I might be able to shed some light on why the violence has escalated recently,” Jake said quietly from the other side of the table.

  Ria had avoided looking at him, but she couldn’t do so any longer. Something about Jake’s cool, steady gaze sent little tingles through her body. It wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but it was something she didn’t understand and wasn’t really prepared to deal with. She had lived her life mostly on the run. She had never really had time to date or be in a relationship. Nothing that lasted, at any rate.

  In all the ways that counted, she was as green as a young girl when it came to men. And human men in particular, were a mostly unknown quantity. Ria was surrounded by shifters all the time. Her Guard were shifters. Her friends were shifters. There was a protective wall of shifters between her and the rest of the world—and humans in particular.

  Ria saw Edvard angle his body to look hard at Jake too, but the human didn’t even fidget under the scrutiny of the powerful selkie’s regard. No, Jake seemed to be made of stronger stuff than that. He wasn’t cowed by Edvard and he had already proven how capable he was of spiriting her away from danger. If not for Jake, she would probably be dead right now.

  “I’ve been in touch with the Lords of the Were in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. I’m also in close contact with a friend in the snowcat enclave in Tibet. Those of us with foresight, and those who have access to foreseers, all seem to be seeing the same thing. Danger. Threat. The specter of massive violence against all leaders of shifters everywhere. As you probably know, there were a series of consecutive attacks on shifter monarchs all over the world, timed perfectly as a distraction.”

  “Distraction from what?” Ria wanted to know.

  “An attempt to divert the power of a volcano in the Pacific Northwest to influence the veil between worlds.” Silence met his words. “This has actually been attempted twice now. First at the site of the tiger stronghold in Iceland, and the most recent attempt in the Cascade Mountains. Mount Baker, near the Canadian border, has come to life for the first time in decades. That was the second attempt to divert the enormous power of a volcano that was, thankfully, interrupted at the last moment. We speculate that the Venifucus are getting bolder in their attempts to bring down the barrier between worlds, and return Elspeth from the farthest realms to the mortal plane. Which is why they’re after you in a big way, Ria, I’m sorry to say. The power you control is very tempting to those who would use it for evil purposes.”

  Edvard’s gaze shifted to Ria, making her want to squirm in her seat, but she held her ground. Edvard knew about her abilities—as most shifters did—but not where they came from.

  “It is said that the Nyx speaks for the departed,” Edvard said quietly into the ocean night. “But does it go beyond speaking? Can it? Can they use you to break through the veil, Ria?”

  She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to lie to her old mentor, but she couldn’t say too much. The secret was important to keep. The silence dragged and that seemed to be answer enough for the big selkie. His lips thinned as he ground his teeth together and a hard look came over his face as he realized what her silence meant.

  “It is the blessing and curse of being the Nyx,” Jake went on, speaking for her as if it were second nature. As if he knew all her secrets.

  Edvard looked sharply at Jake. “Then it is even more important to protect her, whatever the cost.”

  She didn’t like the sound of that. “Too many have already died for me and the secrets I keep,” Ria said softly, drawing the attention of both men. “If I am ever put in a no-win situation, I will take my secrets to my grave and, with any luck, that will be the end of it.”

  “While your dedication is admirable,” Jake said with no humor at all, “if we are very cautious, it won’t come to that.”

  “You’ve foreseen it?” Edvard asked quickly, as if he truly believed in Jake’s claims of clairvoyance.

  “I see many possibilities. Not all end in Ria’s death. And some end in even worse disaster.”

  “What could be worse?” Edvard asked, realization dawning in his eyes even as he finished speaking. “You mean…Elspeth? Here? On earth?”

  “It is one of many possibilities and at this point, I’m relieved to say that most of the divergent lines of fate don’t end that way. The odds are good that we can still avert it. Surely your sister has told you the same?” Jake turned the tables on Edvard, asking a question of his own.

  The ship’s captain cringed and looked away in an unaccustomed show of vulnerability. “She is not speaking to me at the moment.”

  Jake grinned a little, his expression understanding. “I understand. I have a sister too. We don’t always see eye to eye.” Edvard looked back at Jake and nodded, sharing the slight smile. “You should reach out to her. Chances are she’s just waiting for you to make the first move.”

  Edvard nodded once, as if making up his mind. “I will call her tonight. This is too important t
o let a little family disagreement interfere with the flow of intel.”

  Ria shook her head. She sometimes forgot about Edvard’s military background. He was such a teddy bear most of the time—and especially fatherly with her—that she forgot about his warrior skills and the hard life he had lived prior to the ascension of his nephew to the lion throne. It hadn’t been an easy life for any of the Kinkaid line before then, and tensions still occasionally revved a little too high among the lion Prides even now.

  “For now, we’re safe at sea, but we’ll have to put in to port eventually,” Edvard continued after a moment’s pause. “Have you given any thought to where you want to go?”

  That one she could answer. “I don’t want to bring trouble to any of my friends or allies, but I think now is the time when I need them most. Is it possible to establish secure communications with my cousin, Cade, and maybe Mitch, the new tiger king, too? I’d like to talk to them first before I go any further.”

  “That’s easy enough. We have a full communications suite here and a dedicated war room down below. You should know I also have a platoon of my kind patrolling the waters around our position at all times. You might see some of them coming aboard or going over the side occasionally.”

  “Good to know.” She nodded, trying to hide her surprise that so many selkies were concentrated here. Was that normal or something Edvard, Sam, or even Jake, had arranged just for her?

  “And we have shifters of other kinds manning the ship. Every person you see acting as an employee on this ship—from chambermaid to mechanic—is a highly trained warrior. Most are lions, but we have a few tigers and other assorted species that enjoy the water. If you run into trouble, they can help.”

  Ria nodded again. She was glad that the folks around her were able to protect themselves with the way trouble seemed to dog her steps everywhere lately. She hadn’t had a break in way too long. Even this quiet dinner was something to be savored. In recent weeks, she had been eating on the run more often than not.