Primal Instinct

by Ally Parker

  However, drawing attention to Lucas may highlight certain laws that he had broken. Knowledge Ryker possessed, and with evidence no doubt he’d use to his advantage. If anyone was going to be made an example of, chances were it was Jaxx. Would he lose Kenzie after he’d just found her?

  She squeezed his hand. “What is it?”

  Keeping his touch light, he traced a pattern on the back of her palm. He shook his head. “Nothing. Nothing could ever be wrong while I’ve got you.”

  A finger jabbed him in the chest before the same finger tapped on the side of her temple. “I have this connection with you, remember. I know when something is wrong, and I know when you’re lying.”

  She frowned, and he sighed and explained that he’d found Lucas dying and had broken all kinds of laws to save him. Marie LeRoy had seen him, and Ryker had photographed the whole scene, blackmailing their alpha for the females of Shadow Moon, and what it meant if the council found out.

  “I see. How do you plan on getting out of this?”

  It was a good question, one he didn’t have answers to. Yet. “Let me worry about that. Let’s focus on getting your sister free.”

  Jaxx opened the medical doors and held it wide for Kenzie to walk through. Her vision tracked down Jaxx’s body, studying every inch. God, he made her mouth water with every glance. The rustle of fabric drew Kenzie’s attention, and they moved into the clinic, seeing Leila sitting on a gurney. A little ashen, the woman appeared a lot better than when she’d last seen her. Cadence stood at the end of the bed writing in a folder.

  “Can I get you something? Water? Something to eat?” Lucas said to his wife.

  Leila shook her head. Her nostrils flared in a very animal way and her head jerked up. “Jaxx!” Leila eased off the bed, wincing, but managed to eat up the distance between the medical trolley and Jaxx. Leila’s arms wrapped around him and she leaned back, keeping him at arm’s length.

  Jaxx took in every detail of the woman. These people matter to him, Kenzie realized.

  “Are you okay?”

  Leila shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t know. But I get to see my daughter again—something I didn’t think I’d get to do. So I’m just focusing on that. I’ll handle the details later.”

  Jaxx smiled. “You were always the level-headed one, Leila. Lucas is a lucky male to have you.”

  Kenzie felt like an interloper, a voyeur on what was clearly a reserved moment between good friends. Just as she was about to step out of the room to give them privacy, Jaxx turned and beckoned her closer. “I’d like you to meet my mate, Kenzie.”

  Leila’s bright-blue gaze was warm and friendly. She smiled, and Kenzie couldn’t help but smile back. The woman had also been thrust into a life she didn’t ask for, and she could relate to that on a personal level. Leila lightly slapped Jaxx on the shoulder, clearly comfortable and familiar enough with Jaxx to do so. “I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.”

  Jaxx reached for Kenzie and pulled her in front of him, his arms wrapping around her from behind.

  “We haven’t been together long. Though Kenzie has become very important to me.”

  Kenzie’s cheeks heated. Jaxx was kind of growing on her too. There was so much more to him than she’d first realized.

  “Kenzie.” Leila frowned and a second later her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath. “Dear God, you’re the woman that got my Milly out of that… that place. Lucas told me what you did.”

  Leila slipped off the bed and wobbled on her feet. Lucas rushed forward and wrapped an arm around her waist.

  “It’s nothing.” Kenzie pulled at the frayed stitching on her jeans. “Any normal person would have done the same.”

  With the help of Lucas they closed the gap and before Kenzie knew what was happening Leila yanked her forward and wrapped her arms around her. After a second’s hesitation she returned the hug.

  Lucas cleared his throat. “Thank you from the bottom of our heart. What you did can never be repaid. If you ever need anything consider it done.”

  Leila swayed and before Kenzie could tighten her hold Lucas was there pulling her into his arms and leading her back to the bed. “You have to take it easy, babe. You’ve been through a lot.”

  “Listen to your male and get some rest,” Jaxx said. “As much as we’d like to stay and chat, we only stopped in to get supplies for a transport.”

  Cadence flicked her head to the cabinets behind them. “Saint already let me know. A travel kit is over on the bench. Good luck.”

  In less than a minute Jaxx ushered Kenzie out of the room. They walked in silence while her mind mulled over everything that had happened. She shouldn’t feel as strongly as she did about Jaxx. For years, she’d been promising herself—promising Ava—freedom. She needed it to feel sane. Jaxx was bound to pack and the people that made it. The complete opposite of what she’d been fighting for.

  “You don’t have to come if you’re worried.”

  Torn from her thoughts, she glanced up. “No. I’m fine. I have waited for this day for a long time. I need to be a part of this.”

  They neared Kali’s cell, and Jaxx cursed under his breath. “Whatever happens from here on out I need you to follow my lead, okay? I know you are capable of looking after yourself, but for everyone else’s well-being I need you safe. My humanity might be saved, but my wolf will lose the plot—I will lose the plot if you get hurt.”

  She huffed out a breath. “Got it.”

  Jaxx’s shoulder’s deflated on a breath, and relief filtered through their connection. Experiencing another person’s feelings, or hearing their thoughts, was a concept she doubted she’d get used to—ever.

  They walked into Kali’s cell. Anger rolled off the woman in waves. “You sick son of a bitch. I’ll tell you nothing! Nothing!”

  Jaxx pulled out some tubing connected to a cannula with a sharp-looking tip. Kali saw the IV bag and her eyes glowed, teeth shot from her gums, and claws sprang from her fingertips.

  Like it or not, Kenzie had to prepare herself for what was to come.

  17

  As if granting one last gift for the day, the sun lit up the sky with hues of red, purple, and blue, a stark contrast to the run-down home falling to pieces in front of her. Kenzie was sure one strong gust of wind and the wooden shutters would be flying through the air like leaves. Not that anyone would notice it. The place had to be a million miles from civilization.

  “Are you sure this is the place?” Kenzie leaned toward Jaxx and whispered.

  “O’course, lass,” Flynn said from behind them. He walked up and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, his other hand poised in a way to frame the house within the outline of his hand. “Dark, desolate, and decaying. This place screams of Bastian—all the better to play with his food.”

  She shivered.

  Jaxx rolled his eyes and pulled her out from under Flynn’s arm. “Flynn, why don’t you go and see if Lucian and Hunter need help moving Kali onto the trolley.”

  Dramatically, he clutched his chest. “Am I nothin’ but muscle to ye, lad?” he laughed, and headed over to the SUV where two shifters were assembling a medical cart and IV pole.

  Clasping her shoulders, Jaxx met her gaze. “There’s nothing to worry about. I will be with you the whole time and won’t let anything happen to you. Saint and Cade are double-checking the perimeter as we speak. Everything will be fine.”

  She blew out a breath. It wasn’t every day you met a real vampire, and the churning in her stomach was probably nerves, not fear. It didn’t help that everything was so covert with both of the pack’s SUVs parked at the rear of the property and the men scouting the area; everyone was on alert. Edgy. She was ready to have this whole interrogation over with.

  “If you don’t want to do this, say the word and I’ll get you out of here. Saint and the others will deal with it all and get the answers we need.”

  It wasn’t a matter of whether she wanted to or not; it was a necessary evil to get her sister and star
t living a normal life. There was no way she wasn’t being a part of saving Ava, including finding her location.

  She shook her head. “I won’t back down when we’re so close to getting answers.”

  Cade stalked toward them; that was the only way she could describe the way he moved. He stood out from the rest of the men with his eyes that glowed even in his human form. Always. “The area is clear—only three of Bastian’s men are present.”

  Saint appeared at their side, silent and deadly, as she summed him up to be. “I counted two of his men on the west, as expected. Come on, let’s get this over with.”

  Glancing up, Jaxx faced the house, his stance showcasing his strength, and she was glad he was by her side. A fact she ought to ignore. She cleared her throat. “Don’t we need to wait until night’s fallen or something?”

  The heat of Jaxx’s palm pressed into her back. He urged her toward the crooked steps. “Not everything you’ve seen at the movies is real. Vampires aren’t bound to the night in the same way you are to the moon. Though the sun drains their strength and powers, they don’t burst into flames.”

  By the time Saint’s foot hit the first step, the paint-chipped door opened. A muscular man with skin the color of milk chocolate stepped to the side of the entrance, his dreadlocks swaying as he took his position. Piercing blue eyes locked with hers, and he scented the air. She inhaled, copping a nose full of mint. Footsteps drew her attention back to the doorway. A man at least six feet tall filled the frame, dressed in jeans and a button-down dress shirt. Sandy blond hair sat neatly shaped around his face; he also smelled like mint.

  “I take it everything meets your approval.”

  Saint inclined his head. “Bastian. Thank you for your assistance.”

  Kenzie couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. While Bastian was predictably good-looking, there was nothing that screamed vampire—no sharp fangs, no glowing eyes, absolutely nothing remarkable at all. While the man standing as Bastian’s guard possessed striking blue eyes, there was nothing non-human about them.

  “Anything for a friend.” Sweeping his arm into the house, he stepped aside for them to pass.

  Jaxx snorted through their connection. “Friend, my ass.”

  Saint entered the house, followed by Jaxx. Up close, Kenzie squinted and checked again for fangs. Bastian smiled, revealing straight, white, normal teeth. She inhaled, noticing the distinct scent of mint still wafting from Bastian. From behind, Flynn cleared his throat, and Kenzie realized she had been staring. A warm flush heated her neck, and she continued toward Jaxx, where he waited at the mantel of an unused fireplace.

  Her boots clipped on the wooden floor, the noise echoing in the barren room. Alone in the center sat a chair somewhat similar to a dentist’s. Nothing else. Nothing stopping Kali from fleeing as soon as the drugs wore off and she woke. Lucian and Hunter pushed the medical trolley into the room. From their location Kenzie had a prime view of the chair and took in Kali’s relaxed features, her straight nose and full lips amplifying her eloquent beauty. With his back to the room, Bastian stood in front of a curtain-clad window, staring out of a thin slit where the material didn’t meet. “Put her in the chair.”

  Concentrating on her link with Jaxx, she asked, “Shouldn’t she be restrained?”

  Warmth filled her mind, and she got the impression Jaxx was pleased with her reaching out to him through their link. Her stomach quivered. He took a step closer so that their sides were pressed against one another. If she were honest with herself, his nearness filled her with a sense of security, and while she didn’t want to come to rely on him, in that moment she was glad not to be alone.

  “He won’t need them. Once Bastian exchanges blood with her, she will do everything he demands.”

  That sounded horrible, and it would definitely make shifter and vampire coupling impossible. No one in their right mind would want to be controlled. Nodding her head, she banked that bit of info and made a note to have Jaxx give her the 101 of vampires when everything was over.

  After he positioned Kali in the chair, Hunter leaned over to remove the IV line.

  “No.” Bastian turned from the window.

  Hunter froze and inclined his head, retreating to the rear entrance. Approaching Kali, Bastian unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and rolled up the sleeves. “For the moment leave the medication going.”

  Saint leaned against the wall, almost looking bored at first glance. If you looked closer, you wouldn’t have been able to miss the sharp edge to his gaze. “Remember, we want to know the location of Ava Sutton. And of those who run Delmac and their whereabouts.”

  Bastian nodded. “And the payment?”

  Saint glanced to Jaxx, and he inclined his head. She would have to find out how much this was costing Jaxx and make sure to repay every penny.

  “It will be ready after the procedure, as discussed,” Saint murmured.

  Before her eyes, Bastian’s pupils expanded, engulfing all the blue, and radiated outward, leaving nothing but a black void. He glanced up, meeting her gaze. A smile expanded across his face, flashing fangs. Large and sharp. Still holding her gaze captive, he lifted Kali’s wrist to his mouth and bit. Instantly, the copper scent of blood cloaked the room. Transfixed, Kenzie stared at the display, oddly fascinated with how sensual Bastian made the process appear. Not that she was the slightest bit attracted to the vampire, though she could see why some may find him appealing. Jaxx growled and stepped in front of her, blocking the scene.

  By the time she managed to sidestep Jaxx, Bastian had turned to Kali. He reached down and brushed a stray brown strand off her brow. Tilting Kali’s chin, he opened her mouth and held his bleeding wrist across the gap.

  Bastian kicked his chin toward the medication. “Remove it now.”

  Moving from his position, Hunter quickly pulled the device out of Kali’s arm. Bastian stroked her throat the way one might encourage an animal to swallow. She downed the vampire’s blood.

  “That’s it, just a little more,” Bastian cooed.

  Kali moaned. Her head inched to the right, and her eyes fluttered. Bastian removed his wrist, brought it to his mouth, and swiped his tongue over the wound. With precise movements he clasped Kali’s wrist.

  “Where… ” she stammered.

  In the next blink, Bastian’s fangs had pierced Kali’s flesh. His lips fixed to her skin, and Kenzie could see him drawing on her blood like a starved man.

  Saint straightened. “Enough!”

  Before Saint finished the word, Bastian removed his fangs, swiping his tongue in the same manner he had done on his own wrist.

  “It is done.”

  Kali’s eyes opened. She blinked hard a couple of times. Glancing around the room, her vision froze on the vampire.

  “Get the fuck away from me, leech, before I rip your head off!”

  Chuckling, Bastian leaned close. “It’s too late, kitten. You have one chance to answer my questions before I make you do it.”

  Hand shooting to her mouth, Kali wiped vigorously at her lips. She glanced at her hand stained with Bastian’s blood, and spat. Despite Bastian’s quick reflexes, the vampire still wore droplets across his cheek. Her eyes shifted, sparking with her wolf.

  “Be still!”

  At once Kali stopped moving. “Now kitten, that was uncalled for.”

  He wiped the offending liquid away and honed his focus toward Kali. “Last chance to remain in control. Where is Ava Sutton being held?”

  Jaxx rested a hand across Kenzie’s shoulder, rubbing gently. Having Kenzie surrounded by leeches set his senses on alert. That’s why he knew for the past thirty seconds she hadn’t taken a breath, and she was eagerly pitched forward, hanging off every detail.

  Kali remained motionless, and her low moan filled the room. “It won’t matter. You’re all dead; you just don’t know it yet.”

  Bastian blew out a breath. “Enough. I don’t know why I bother trying to be nice. Tell me where Ava Sutton is.”

&nb
sp; A chill shot down Jaxx’s spine. Puppeteering gave him the creeps. Akin to a robot, Kali responded in a deadpan voice. “The location always moves.”

  “Where is she now?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Bastian’s voice grew stronger. “Where was the last location that you know?”

  “An abandoned building in Blackfoot, Idaho Falls.”

  Disbelief saturated the mating bond. He glanced at Kenzie. Via their connection, he asked, “What is it?”

  She shook her head and responded out loud. “I can’t believe it. All this time I could have saved her.”

  Their eyes locked, and he could see her gaze light with anticipation. “I know exactly where she is.”

  Hope radiated from his mate, and it filled him with happiness. Biting her bottom lip did nothing to hide her smile. He only hoped they got there in time; the thought of finding the place empty—seeing the disappointment in his mate’s eye—sent an ache through his chest.

  The first part of his mission complete, Bastion moved on. “Who runs Delmac? I need the names… ”

  From outside the door, Cade’s voice pierced the room. “The hell?”

  Drawing in a breath, Jaxx cursed. Mint filled his nasal cavity. The stench so powerful there must be near twenty vamps close by. Growling, he pushed Kenzie half behind him, not wanting to leave her solely exposed to Bastian if he had been behind their uninvited visitors.

  Bastian hissed and jerked up from his seat, sending the chair skating across the wooden floor. “What is the meaning of this?”

  Hunter faced the door and rolled his shoulders, hunkering down to a fighting stance. “Not friends of yours, I take it?”

  The door opened. The vampire with dreads walked in, followed by half a dozen other vampires. Vampires dressed in the shifter council military uniform, their faces painted in war paint. What the hell? Cade teetered in the entrance. His features looked a lot more wolf than man.

  “Darius, what seems to be the problem?” Bastian said.