by K. N. Banet
He joined me. There were a lot of cables, and I was dismantling the entire system—two computers, a server, six screens, and a number of electronic accessories that went with each of them. Dirk was going to lose his mind when he saw what he needed to put back together, but I didn’t let that bother me. I would help him if I had to, but I had to make sure Davor couldn’t see what was happening in my territory.
“Won’t this help give us away?” Heath asked once we were done. “I would see it as a bad sign. If any of my werewolves had a security system that crashed, the first thing I would do is go check it out. I would call, send people, or go myself, anything I had to do. I’ve done it before.”
“I told them the system was getting an update. They asked me to bring it back up today, but it’s early Sunday. I have time before they start questioning why it’s not up yet. By the time they realize it’s down on purpose, they’ll still need to take several-hour flights to get here and see what the problem is. I think this will buy us twenty-four hours we wouldn’t have if Davor saw Fiona and Rian on camera. They’re not in the same city or even the same country, Heath. I don’t have the same leash you kept with your werewolves because it’s impossible to enforce. Werecats are supposed to be independent.”
“Sometimes, I wonder if your family should start bringing leashes into the equation,” he mumbled, both teasing and truthful.
“Ha.” I pushed him slowly out of my security room. “Now we have a day to figure out how to keep this hidden.”
13
Chapter Thirteen
“My house,” he offered instantly.
“Not good enough. They’ll expect me to be staying close to mine, and they’ll find it odd if I’m almost never here. This is the center of my territory, the safest place. From here, I have equal protection from all sides. Can’t move from it.”
I didn’t get the chance to say anymore when something touched the boundary of my territory. I jerked my head in its direction, feeling the werecat part of me rise to the surface. In an instant, I pushed all of my fierce possessiveness into my land. Instinct drove me to do that, as territory magic told other werecats whether they were welcome. Werewolves had a better feeling for werecat territory magic than most other species, but they couldn’t feel what I did. Any species that could smell or sight magic would know they had just toyed with a line they knew was dangerous.
“What crossed into your territory?” Heath asked, figuring out my reaction without needing a moment to think about it.
“Nothing crossed,” I answered honestly. “Something just brushed it. Barely stepped in, then back out, almost on accident, too fast for me to identify. Could have been a rogue werecat who realized quickly not to deal with me because I’m not in the mood. Could have been a fae assassin testing for weakness.”
“They won’t find any,” Heath said confidently.
“No, they won’t,” I agreed. His faith in my boundaries filled me with confidence. Also, it made sense. A werecat’s territory magic didn’t have weaknesses. The line was continuous and unbroken, strong all the way around. Occasionally, I ran my borders to keep it connected to me, but I had lived in this territory long enough, the land was firmly mine. It would take at least a decade for my connection to fade. “I don’t like the timing. Hasan was just telling me a video was captured of Brion in the Market, being attacked by assassins. I don’t know the timeline. He just said earlier. And…” I frowned as something seemed off.
“What, Jacky? I need to know everything. We’re both in this.” He didn’t seem upset, but there was a sense of urgency.
“Brion left with two of his sons,” I said softly. “They weren’t in the video, not that I was told. It was Brion being attacked by assassins, but Hasan made no move to say there were others with him.”
“And you couldn’t ask because they would figure out you’re involved somehow,” Heath deduced quickly. “If the king of the fae had allies fighting with him, I think that would be important enough for your father to mention to his army. I know it makes you uncomfortable to tell me everything about your family, but I need to know all they do about this. It’s not just your family on the line.”
Army. Normally, people didn’t call us that, but it reminded me of what Hasan once said. I told him he could create an army with his Talent, and he had replied ominously that he already had.
“I know.” I launched into the entire explanation—what my siblings had talked about, explaining Cassius, his connection to other species, and Hisao’s. I made it clear my family all agreed to stay out of this conflict. It was dangerous, and in the end, it had nothing to do with the werecats.
“Unless they know about me,” I finished. “If they realize I’m involved, it becomes personal, and we don’t want that.”
“They would go to war for you,” Heath agreed softly. “Even when you didn’t tell anyone who you were and had no connection to them, they were willing to expose the werecats and every other supernatural species if the Tribunal decided to execute you.”
“It was a good bluff the others knew better than to call. Hasan was still grieving Liza. Taking away another of his children was asking for a war they could win, but not without major losses,” I said, nodding slowly. “We talked about it one afternoon over the summer.”
“When you visited them,” Heath said as I finally started walking back to the house, my intruder not trying again. It was unsafe for me to investigate, and I wouldn’t send Heath. Whoever had done it would live until they tried it again.
“That’s right. We talked about a lot of stuff while I was there.” That conversation had barely been a footnote on the trip.
“You haven’t talked much about that trip,” Heath commented lightly, but I knew he was curious. I came back and only shared tidbits of information.
“Not much happened.”
“How did it go with Davor?” he asked, reaching out to touch my hand.
“Davor apologized…a lot. I don’t know if I’m going to accept it yet, but I promised everyone I wouldn’t be actively hostile if he wasn’t. That’s why he’s being so pushy about keeping an eye on me, trying to be a better brother and all that.”
I’d told Heath about this particular brother more than once. As Heath didn’t tell me every werewolf secret, I didn’t tell him the small things about my family. He had no idea Zuri had gotten pregnant and had Amir or even that she’d met Kushim. I didn’t tell him about the day I spent with Subira, talking about my troubles and my future with the family and how she lovingly accepted me for all of it. I didn’t share those things. But Davor knew how to cut straight at my heart, so before I had gone to Hasan’s island over the summer, I had told Heath about my reservations. He’d already met Jabari, so he knew how my family could be. I had been so wary seeing Davor again, and beyond just Davor, I had to see them after I’d revealed werecats to humanity. Zuri had wanted us there to meet Amir, but I had known I would have to face the rest.
Really, I just hadn’t wanted to be trapped on an island for two weeks with a werecat who was so good at hurting me. Davor knew how to take cold to a level that left frostbite just with his words and a look. Davor, who constantly made me prove myself and treated me like a second-class member of the family. Davor, who had anger issues and thought he was smarter than everyone. Davor, who was so consumed by his grief, he couldn’t see anyone else’s.
While I hadn’t yet forgiven Davor, I knew I had never had the whole story, and in some ways, I still didn’t.
“You told me Davor and Liza were once closer than the rest of the family,” he said softly as we stopped on the porch.
“They were mates,” I replied, leaning on the railing to look in the direction where I had felt the potential intruder. This wasn’t mine to tell, but it felt important for Heath to understand.
“Everyone knew that.” Heath wasn’t surprised.
“Like…real mates.” I had recently learned there was a difference. There was a mate, someone a moon cursed loved, then there was
a mate, someone a moon cursed was so completely bonded to, a connection of supernatural origin formed. Hasan and Subira were mates. Callahan and Corissa were as well, from what Hasan said.
Davor and Liza had been real mates.
“They had a mate bond? Those are rare. Jacky, I know couples who have been together for centuries and haven’t been able to forge that bond. How is Davor still even alive?” Heath frowned deeply and leaned on the same rail next to me. “No wonder he’s always been an ass to you. No wonder he hates me and other werewolves. He’s…”
“Yeah,” I murmured, sighing heavily. “It was a heavy trip, and it left me with perspective. They can’t get involved in this.”
“I’ll keep what you’ve said to myself,” Heath promised. “I won’t tell Landon.”
“Thanks. Davor wouldn’t appreciate me giving up his secrets. Shouldn’t have even brought it up.” I didn’t regret it, though. I would tell Heath everything if I could, but there were lines we didn’t cross to keep each other safe. “Are we just going to continue to pretend there wasn’t someone considering coming into my territory?”
“I think it’s for the best,” he said, shrugging. “Unless you want to go out and check where they entered.”
I shook my head. “Too risky.”
“Hmmm, baiting. Werewolves learn that technique young,” Heath agreed, nodding.
“Did you ask me just to argue against it?” I put my chin in my hand, side-eyeing my werewolf. “Just to make sure I wouldn’t do something that stupid?”
“Maybe,” he admitted. “But I knew you wouldn’t take the bait. You would have already taken it if you planned to run out there and get a sniff.”
“If it was another werecat, I would be out there, but I didn’t have time to identify what it was, which is troublesome.” I looked over my shoulder at the house, sighing. “And I don’t want to scare them. It would be easy to freak them out, and I don’t know what kind of magic Rian has.”
“Fae magics are diverse.” Heath shrugged.
“How would you compare them to say…a witch? What do I need to look out for?”
“Fae magics feel wilder. Witches are controlled and can pretty much do the same thing…” Heath frowned. “Have you ever read fantasy books?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you know the difference between a hard and a soft magic system?”
“Not really.” But now I knew Heath was secretly a nerd because his eyes started to twinkle.
“Hard magic systems have strict rules, and everything that happens follows those rules. Soft magic systems have unexplainable edges, and it’s harder to…” He waved his hands around. “You would know the difference when you read it.”
“Heath…”
“I like Lord of the Rings,” he admitted, smirking. “Since I read that series, I’ve devoured fantasy novels…and games.”
“Do you play tabletop rpgs?” I asked softly, leaning closer to him as if it was a dirty secret.
“I used to as a way to relax with younger members of the pack,” he said, shrugging. “When I had time. I was the dungeon master. Why do you think I love learning about all the other supernatural species out there?”
“Heath Everson, we have known each other for three years, and you have never once hinted or told me about this,” I said, slapping a hand on the railing of my patio. “How could you keep this from me?”
“I haven’t played in seven years, and it never seemed important. Back to the discussion. Witches have hard magic rules, while Fae have soft magic.”
“I play PC games in my free time,” I countered. “And you couldn’t tell me you’re a tabletop player?”
“Carey doesn’t play them, so it doesn’t come up anymore. She always thought her dad couldn’t be that cool if he was teaching kids to roll for stealth when they were trying to pickpocket the guard with the key to the dungeon,” he said, but I could see a real light of happiness there. “Landon never thought it was that interesting, either. He would take the other young ones out camping while I hosted game nights.”
“Wow.”
“I know.”
“There’s so much about you I don’t know yet,” I said, but wasn’t really surprised or hurt.
“It isn’t a big deal.” Wrapping his arms around my waist, he kissed my cheek, my jaw, then down to my neck. “Unless you think it makes me some mouth-breathing—”
“Oh no,” I murmured. “I don’t think that at all.” I let my head fall back a little to give him better access. “There are some hunky celebrities out there who play. I guess I have one.”
“Don’t tell anyone.” He chuckled. “It would ruin my reputation.”
“I would never.” I pulled him up to kiss me, and for a moment, we were a normal couple, still learning each other as we made our way through life. I wanted to do this for a decade, for a century. Heath had snuck his way into my life, being my friend and my companion through so many adventures. For a moment, I could forget the people inside my house and the ones outside my territory.
We weren’t perfect, but we were right. Everything about us felt right.
Then something slipped into my territory again and disappeared.
14
Chapter Fourteen
“What the fuck?” I hissed, turning away from him and growling in the direction I had felt the intrusion. “Heath, we’re going to have company.”
“Is someone coming?”
“They stepped into my borders, then disappeared,” I growled. “Which means they can be anywhere.”
“Let’s get inside,” he said, grabbing my elbow. “Jacky, let’s go.”
I nodded and followed him inside, locking the doors. Rian was awake and frowning as I stormed through my living room, closing up my large windows, which I rarely ever did, but today, they were more a security risk than a comfort.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Heath launched into questioning before I had the chance.
“Are there any fae who have the power to hide from werecats?” he demanded, heading straight for the young fae. Rian was an adult, but the timeline made me think he wasn’t probably much older than he looked, in his twenties, but he was probably in his thirties or forties, at most.
“I…I don’t know,” Rian answered as Heath got in his face. Fiona woke up from the commotion, her eyes fearful.
“Someone came into my territory, then disappeared,” I hissed in frustration. “They definitely entered, and it wasn’t as if they walked back out. They got into my territory, then dropped out of my…sight. That might be the best way to describe it. I have a feeling whoever it was is headed here.”
“Do you have a safe room?” Heath asked, frowning as he looked around. I shook my head in return, and he sighed. “Upstairs might be safest or a closet. Something without windows we can defend might be the best.”
“Why don’t you go out there and try to track them?” Rian was frowning between us. “I can keep my mother safe.”
“Do I look like an idiot to you?” I asked, wondering what he was thinking. “Split up and leave someone who is loyal to his father as protection? And a werewolf who can’t Change as fast as I can? Speaking of, Heath, I’m going to Change.”
“I’ll open up your gun safe and try to arm everyone,” he said as I started stripping. I watched him run out of the room as I threw my clothing to the ground.
The Change was a brutal process. Every bone in the human body had to move into a new position, change, sometimes literally breaking to complete the process. The entire skull had to reshape itself and become a different creature, and fingernails became retractable claws. Some of my senses grew sharper in this form, like smell and hearing, while others grew worse, like taste and touch.
As a werecat, I could do it quickly. I ranged between twenty seconds and a full two minutes. When it took me over a minute, which was rare, it was because of other factors, like exhaustion or pain. Normally, I could do it in roughly thirty seconds, which I was gratef
ul for. Most of my family took a minute or two, while werewolves took anywhere between five and thirty minutes.
The amount of pain was the same, I just did it faster.
When it was over, I was a four to five-hundred-pound monster of a saber-toothed cat, one that had been extinct for thousands of years. There was a reason werecats couldn’t blend in the way werewolves could. Wolves had evolved, certainly, but not nearly as much as the feline. Saber-toothed cats were extinct. There was nothing in the modern world that looked like me or my kind of moon cursed.
I didn’t move from my place once I was finished with the Change, letting Fiona and Rian look at me with fear and interest. Their fear was strong enough to cloud the room like a persistent fog, inescapable, but there was enough courage that they didn’t cower or shake. They also didn’t come any closer, just looked at me as if they needed to memorize what I looked like.
“Jacky, I’m going to pack your clothes in a bag just in case we need to run,” Heath said as he walked out with every firearm I owned. I had started up a strange collection over the last three years, grabbing one or two here and there. Dirk had added a few of his own to my gun safe. “Landon already brought me a go-bag just in case, so we’re ready to move.” He carefully handed out the firearms. Rian explained to his mother how to work the safety on hers while he held onto the shotgun Heath thought he would do best with. Heath carried a rifle, but it wasn’t one of mine.
“Where did that come from?” I asked, tilting my head to the side and directing the words to Heath. With my telepathy, if I was careful, I could send my speech to one person, and if it was needed, I could scream it into the heads of everyone around.
It was this power Brion had given me when I had met him, removing a problem I had faced as a werecat. We didn’t have the magic of werewolves, which made us solitary hunters and unable to communicate.
“Landon brought it for me,” he said with a smile. “It’s one of my favorites, and we both assumed you would be using your werecat form, so I would probably be on two legs.”
