Primal Instinct

by Ally Parker

  Silence stretched down the line, and Saul blew out a heavy breath. “The council will want to look into this directly.” He paused, and murmured, “This will complicate matters.” As if drifting out of his thoughts, he said louder, “I will inform the rest of the council, and no doubt we’ll be there by tomorrow night to neutralize this threat.”

  “There is a small complication. Jaxx’s mate has a sister held captive within the building. They’ve made her a were.”

  Saul sighed. “You have until we arrive. The council won’t risk the lives of many for a sole were, female or not. Whatever happens, don’t draw attention to the area. This can’t come back to us. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  The connection went dead. Saint strummed his fingers on the wood grain of his bedside drawers, mulling over the conversation. The council coming to his territory would complicate matters for him, too. Saul wanting to get his sister hidden away sooner.

  “Damn it to hell.” Jaxx was still unfit for duty, Hunter injured, and now time was running out. They wouldn’t need to worry about Delmac hurting Ava. If they didn’t get her out in time, the council wouldn’t worry about collateral damage. They would annihilate the building, any evidence, and anything or one still in it.

  19

  Panic tightened Jaxx’s chest, and breathing became difficult. Struggling to crack his eyes open, he sucked in a breath. Behind his lids, telltale tingles swept across his cornea, enhancing his vision. His muscles bunched, preparing to fight. What the hell happened? That’s when he heard voices.

  “Why isn’t he waking up?”

  Kenzie. His mate’s voice penetrated the fog, obscuring his ability to think clearly. Jaxx’s brows pulled tight, and from the scent of the room, he was in medical. His brain started to kick over, dishing up CliffsNotes on what happened. That damn leech took too much blood. A warmth spread across his mating link, soft and light—like the morning dawn spreading across the horizon. Kenzie cared for him. Really cared. Not due to an obligation that kept him from killing people but born from feelings seeded from her own volition.

  The deep rumble of Saint’s voice rolled through the room. “He lost a lot of blood. Jaxx is a strong male. Listen to the steady thud of his heart, see his lungs expand, and use your connection.”

  Forcing his eyes to open, the light blinded him. He blinked rapidly, and seconds later, the room came into focus. Kenzie paced in short bursts in the adjoining room, and Saint leaned against the shelves. Kenzie spun to face Saint. “He can’t come on the mission.” She looked toward him. “He’s put himself at risk too many times already. He won’t have had enough time to recover.”

  Kenzie’s words stroked over him like a warm hand. She cared about him—he still couldn’t believe it. His survival mattered to her. But there was no way he was staying behind while she put herself in danger. He flexed his hands under the sheets, already feeling better.

  Saint snorted. “You have a lot to learn about mates, Mackenzie Sutton. Nothing and no one will keep Jaxx from you. Ever. Even if I didn’t know he has made a full recovery, if I ordered him to stay while you ran into danger, he’d simply disobey the order. He can’t physically help it. Trust me when I say Jaxx will be fighting, all guns blazing.”

  Blowing out a breath, Kenzie ran a hand through her hair. He could sense she didn’t like Saint’s words one bit. “What’s going to happen?”

  The words you’ll be safely tucked away from danger while the pack handles Delmac hovered on Jaxx’s tongue. Tempting. As much as he wanted to keep Kenzie away from danger, asking her to wait out the mission was akin to asking the sun to not rise—impossible.

  As if he’d spoken the words out loud, Kenzie spun toward him.

  “You’re awake.” Kenzie’s voice was a soft caress through their mating link.

  A grin slid over his face. Her ability to sense him meant one thing. Their bond was growing. The icy walls she held firmly in place were faltering. It was progress.

  She rushed into the room and stroked along his arm. “How are you feeling?”

  All he had needed was a pint of blood and a good night’s rest. “Like I could take down Delmac.”

  Kenzie’s eyes glistened. “Don’t you ever do that again! Don’t put yourself at risk for me.” I could have lost you too.

  He didn’t think his little wolf had meant for the thought to slip through, but he grabbed hold of her words and held them tight. He clasped her hand, yanking her on top of him. She yelped. “There may be many things I will compromise on, but protecting you isn’t one of them.”

  Her breath fanned across his skin, sending goose bumps across his flesh. Unable to control himself, he pressed closer and inhaled the scent of his mate. Soothing him, relaxing muscles he hadn’t known were tensed. “I’m surprised you’re not in the midst of marking out a battle plan.”

  She nodded. “It was next on my to-do list.” The smile left her voice, and she propped herself up, staring down at him. “I needed to know you were okay.”

  “Kenzie,” he breathed, and reached up, tucking loose strands behind her ear. “The world could shatter around me and I’d be fine as long as you were here.” He tapped the side of his head, indicating their mating link. Of course if the world were to shatter, he’d have his little wolf a million miles away from the danger.

  Saint cleared his throat and walked into the room. Kenzie slid off him and stood, pink hues staining her cheek.

  Saint braced himself on the end of the bedframe. “The council is due in less than seven hours to handle Delmac. I’m calling a meeting in an hour. Hunter is still down, and we need every male to be functioning at full capacity. Eat. Rest. Be ready.”

  Wait! What? His brows bunched. Saint had sent Hunter to follow the hoard of vampires—was the male captured? To become a vampire’s pet was a fate worse than death. “What happened?”

  Saint’s shoulders tensed. The movement minor but telling. His alpha was worried. “Hunter was gravely injured while tracking the vampires. Taryn and Cadence have done all they can. He’s been moved to his room where he can rest and heal.”

  Expelling the air from his lungs, Jaxx couldn’t help but feel relieved Hunter was still alive. “He’s strong—he’ll be back at it in no time.”

  Saint nodded, but Jaxx could see guilt constricting around his alpha like a boa. “I’ll see you both in an hour.”

  The moment the door clicked shut, Jaxx flung the sheet back. First, he needed to get in contact with Seb and organize some tech on the warehouse, maybe see if he could hack into the any security surveillance. They would also need to source a blueprint and look at crashing any recording surveillance in the area.

  “And just where do you think you’re going?”

  Glancing up, he met Kenzie’s gaze. “I need to go see Seb; he can hack his way through just about anything. I’m thinking at least he can get us a visual on the area or pull up a floor plan of the warehouse.”

  He worked at the IV line. Kenzie tsked and palmed his chest, knocking him back into bed before he could disconnect the tubing. He arched a brow. “What are you doing?”

  Her other hand stilled the IV pole with a mostly empty bag of blood attached. “You heard Saint. Rest. You need something to eat. In the meantime I can do the footwork. Remember, we’re a team.”

  He smiled. “Now, that I can agree to.”

  It felt good to connect with Kenzie on a deeper level. It gave him hope that a fundamental aspect of their relationship was changing. That their bond was deepening in a way it should have always been. “We need to track down Seb and get some tech support.”

  Her attention shifted to the door. “Somebody’s coming.”

  He sensed it too. Lucas. A big part of him hated that she would sense his were through a bond from his bite. Yet he was grateful Lucas had protected her until he arrived. God only knew what would have become of him otherwise. The door open, and the scents of Lucas, Leila, and Milly filled the room.

  “Good you’re awake,” Lucas said with a s
mile. Milly clutched her mom’s leg, peeking out from behind Leila’s jacket. “Hi, Jaxx. Hi, Kenzie.”

  “Hey, kiddo.”

  Lucas eyed them both. “I hope we haven’t caught you at a bad time.”

  Kenzie cleared her throat. “Nope.”

  “Good. I heard the formidable Jaxx Reynolds had been hurt, and I had to come and look for myself.”

  Leila elbowed Lucas in the ribs. “What he means is, we wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “I made this for you.” Milly peeled herself off Leila and passed a piece of paper to him.

  “Thanks, Milly.” Opening the paper, he took in the colorful artwork. “I’m one lucky guy.” His eyes shot to Leila and Lucas, and back to the drawing of what he assumed were wolves fighting people.

  “That one is you.” She pointed to a grey wolf attacking a human. “You, and Daddy are saving us from those bad men.”

  Leila sighed, and the pungent odor of worry stole Jaxx’s breath.

  “Cadence assures me it’s therapeutic and will help her process all that’s happened.”

  As one of their healers, Cadence ought to know. “You look better than when I last saw you,” he told her. “How are you doing?”

  What he was really asking was—are you accepting your new world?

  She drew in a big breath and steadily blew it out. “Yeah. I think I am. Don’t get me wrong, all the changes are making my mind spin, but I’m dealing through it.”

  A true warrior. Lucas was a lucky male. The family may have been through hell, but they’d survived. “It sounds like you’re adjusting well.”

  “Too well if you ask me,” Lucas said. “She’s already threatened to put me in the doghouse.”

  Lucas’s words may have been light, but Jaxx could hear the note of relief in the male’s voice. Leila laughed and leaned into Lucas, glancing down to stroke Milly’s wayward curls. “I’m with my family, and from what Cadence told me it was a pretty close call. I’m just thankful to be here in any capacity. It puts things into perspective.”

  Lucas straightened. “Saint’s ordered a meeting in less than an hour.” He swung his gaze to Kenzie. “I will help anyway I can.”

  Just as Jaxx knew he would. By the worry plastered on Leila’s face, the female didn’t like the idea. After surviving Delmac by the skin of their teeth, Jaxx couldn’t bring himself to walk Lucas into battle. “I’ll need your hand gathering intel, but I want you to sit this one out.”

  Lucas stepped forward, his shoulders pulled back. “I got this. You don’t have to worry about me.”

  Jaxx’s gaze swung to Leila and Milly. “You’ve got your family to take care of, and we don’t know how the council will respond to our interference.”

  Lucas looked to his family and blew out a breath. “Okay. What can I do to help?”

  “I gave Seb a syringe with the shit they pumped you with—can you find out if he’s made any headway on what it is, and if we can work out an antidote?”

  “On it.” Lucas wrapped his arm around Leila and Milly. “I’ll keep you posted.”

  Kenzie’s gaze followed Lucas and his family, her brows tugging inward, something flashing in her eyes. The doors opened, and Cadence walked into the room juggling Jaxx’s medical chart under her arm, and carrying a basin, the scent of herbs wafting from the steam. “I thought you’d like to clean up.”

  Kenzie blinked, coming out of her daze. “Let me take that off your hands.”

  “Thanks. I’d appreciate it.”

  Kenzie set the basin on a table, picked up a washcloth, looked up at him from under her lashes, and wiped the warm material over his face. He’d get injured every damn day if it meant his mate would tend to him.

  A growl rattled through their mating link. “Don’t you dare.”

  He bit back a chuckle. Cadence busied herself checking the IV lines, clamping the blood bag, and opening another valve that dripped clear liquid into the line. “Okay. I’m going to flush this through, and you should be good as new.”

  Clearing her throat, Kenzie asked, “How is Hunter?”

  Cadence stilled, her pen poised over a folder. “It was a tough night. He had extensive tissue damage, and one of his wounds hit a major artery. The worst is over, but he’s healing much slower than we’d like.”

  Kenzie nodded, and she dunked the washcloth, wringing it out and taking her time to clean down his arm. She frowned, and he could see the wheels turning in her mind. “Do you think I could visit him?”

  He crept through their link, whispering, “What’s on your mind, little wolf?”

  Her gaze cut to him, and she shook her head, shutting him out. Jaxx fought the urge to press. Kenzie had so much taken away from her, he didn’t want to steal her privacy too.

  Cadence nodded. “Sure, I’m sure he’d love that. But give him some time to heal.” Cadence placed the clipboard on a side table and face Jaxx. “How are you feeling? Any dizziness, blurred vision, or nausea?”

  “Good, and no, no, and no.”

  “Excellent. Get me straightaway if anything changes. I’m going to check on Hunter.”

  Jaxx sat up and grabbed the cloth, plopping it into the bowl of water. He yanked Kenzie close and smoothed the frown on her face with his thumbs. “Are you okay?”

  She searched his gaze, flashing him a grin—there one second, gone the next. “I have a lot on my mind, is all.”

  “You can talk to me.” He wanted her to come to him. But it had to be on her terms.

  “Thank you,” she said, rubbing her palm up and down his arm. “It’s something I have to work out on my own, you know? Now you rest up. I’ll go get you some food and ask Seb for some help.”

  Jaxx watched Kenzie walk out of the room, pause at the door, and look back at him over her shoulder. He didn’t need a mating link to know his little wolf was fighting an inner battle, and when the war was over, he’d be there, ready.

  Kenzie steamrolled out of the clinic with Jaxx, and Ava, and Shadow Moon on her mind. After seeing Lucas reunited with his family, and the attitude Leila had on the changes to her life, it had left Kenzie thinking about the events that led her to this moment. Family was important; Kenzie had always known that. Leila’s words emphasized it, sending home the message that together they were stronger and could get through anything.

  With that in mind, she weaved the tunnels and made her way down the corridor. She heard the murmur of voices before she turned the last corner. Cautiously, she approached Saint’s office. Saint, Flynn, Cade, Seb, and four other men she didn’t recognize hunched over a table.

  Seb leaned forward, pointing at something on the map. “We could always go underground through the sewers.”

  Some men visibly shuddered. A man she recognized from the woods when Xavier first attacked her spoke. “Let’s save that option as a last resort. I still can’t get the stench out of my nose since last time.”

  Seb laughed and shoved the man’s shoulder. “That was over six months ago, Linkin.”

  “My point exactly.”

  “If we approach from the northern end we have the security of the dock. No one will see us coming until it’s too late,” a bulky man with wavy black hair said.

  Flynn leaned closer. “Slater, subtlety is for the lassies. I say we attack from all angles; dinnae give ’em a chance to escape. We can get in, save the were, and be home before the dust settles.”

  Saint shook his head. “That will draw unwanted attention. We don’t need the human authorities getting involved. Remember, this is meant to be under the radar. What do you think, Kenzie?”

  Unaware Saint knew she was watching, she straightened from the doorjamb. Eight sets of eyes focused on her. Pushing her shoulders back, she walked into the room with an air of confidence she didn’t really feel. “Since subtlety is key here.” She spared Flynn a glance. “Sorry. I did like your idea. I think we can drive straight up to the facility and walk on in.”

  The man Flynn had referred to as Slater lifted a brow. “And jus
t how do you expect to do that, subtly?”

  “We take away what they need most—their power supply.”

  Seb’s eyes lit up in the most amazing shade of molten silver. “Go on.”

  Edging closer to the table, she saw several rolls of paper, including a blueprint of the warehouse. “First, Jaxx was hoping you might be able to hack any surveillance system. Then when the time comes you can cut off the power, jam their communications. We’d be leaving them blind. While the diversion is in play, we can slip in without anyone noticing.”

  Assessing the drawing, she traced her finger from what appeared to be an internal, drivable bay to an exit point at the back of the building. “Once we’re in, we can clear a path to the northern entrance, like Slater mentioned, and the rest of the pack can join us as we make our way through the warehouse.”

  Seb pistol-gripped his chin, scratching the whiskers with his finger. “We’d have to time this right. but it could work. I can hack into the power supply and re-route their communication systems. Though it would only be for a short window of time.”

  Leaning back, Flynn crossed his arms. “If that dinnae work, we can always run with my idea, just take over the joint like a boss.”

  Several of the other males chuckled and cracked knuckles, agreeing with Flynn’s plan.

  Saint braced his arms on the desk, his gaze coasting across the males. “I need a volunteer to stay back. The council will arrive at some point during the night. I need a distraction to stall the deployment of their team and to notify me of their arrival.”

  Seb rubbed his hand over his head. “It makes sense if I do it. As long as I have a computer in front of me, it won’t matter where I’m stationed.”

  “I can also provide a distraction.” Cadence walked into the room carrying a kidney-shaped dish and a clipboard wedged under her arm.

  Kenzie stood to the side, making room for Cadence within the circle. “This. I’m sure the council will want to know all the ins and outs of it.” She shoved the dish on top of the maps. “This is a problem. Take a good sniff of it.”