by Jo Penn
Con’s eyes narrowed on Vinn. The young man had a temper when pushed. Vinn gave an insolent sigh and turned his back. Of course, Tyler then defended his mate, so Vinn growled at the prince.
A gust of wind wrapped around Vinn and he was quickly spun in a vortex five times before tossed out and onto the ground. Sitting up, he wiped dirt from his hair.
“Your gift is being able to use the air to make tornadoes,” he grunted.
“Oh shit! That was so cool!” Archie jumped around excitedly. “Man that is so much better than my gift!”
“You did that on purpose. Thanks.” Tyler smirked, hugging his mate. “Come on, babe, let’s go find that gift inhibitor bracelet.”
A hand appeared in front of him, Vinn looking up at his gorgeous mate. Taking Emile’s hand, he let himself be easily pulled to his feet.
“That was a smart way to bring out Constantin’s gift.” Emile frowned and wiped at his hand.
Vinn was beginning to suspect his mate had a thing about dirt and germs. This was confirmed when Emile produced a small bottle of disinfectant from his trouser pocket and liberally doused both hands and wrists in the strong smelling liquid. He guessed his mate wouldn’t be coming out on the RVs for some bush trail riding, then.
“Let’s get you two back to the compound.” Dominic began ushering them toward a large Mercedes that Vinn knew had bulletproof and flameproof glass and a steel reinforced body.
“Since they are here at the estate, why risk traveling to the compound?” Eber said firmly.
That was true and simpler. Unfortunately, Dominic did not agree and to keep the peace, Vinn piled into the back of the Mercedes with his mate, who frowned at a feline who immediately produced a small iPad. Vinn kept his sigh to himself.
At the compound, Drake wanted a run down on exactly what had happened.
“I am busy. Vinncent will fill you in.” Emile waved a hand dismissively at his brother and hurried away.
Vinn puffed out a sharp breath and glared at Drake. “What do you want to know?”
“I want you to tell me first-hand what the hell happened out there. I want to know exactly how much danger you and my brother are in and what to expect so I can keep you both safe. Come to my office, we can talk there.”
Vinn followed Drake through the expansive palace, curling a lip at a lot of artwork that didn’t appeal and seemed over the top to him. After a fight, he always felt edgy and wound up and could do with a shower. He still had some blood and dirt on him, and he noticed Emile kept a distance between them during the drive.
He glared at Drake and, crossing his arms, stood on the other side of the desk and gave a very brutal, straightforward recount of the events.
Drake nodded, pacing behind his mammoth desk. “Right, that’s disappointing.”
“Disappointing? What the fuck?” Vinn growled, hands turning to claws. “Some bastard tried to kidnap my mate!”
“Yeah, and it’s not the first damn time either,” Drake snarled, glaring right back at Vinn. “And now you’ll be collateral damage. Dammit, what a frigging mess.”
“What the hell is going on?” Vinn asked quietly. The fires inside him lit up like a forest blaze, his voice taking on a thick, smoky quality.
“Yes, do inform us.” Vicus walked in and closed the door.
Drake sighed heavily and swept white blond hair back off his face. “A few months ago we got wind of a threat against Emile. As you may realize, this isn’t uncommon. We investigate each threat, verify and establish the level of priority. Emile usually has complaints about rulings he’s involved in, or some wacko wanting a date. Very occasionally there’s a death threat. Of course, there is always the Renegade threat. Baron keeps tight security which also allows Emile plenty of freedom and, truthfully, my brother doesn’t place himself in danger. He remains in populated, safe areas such as the High Council, here at the compound, and in his offices in the Alliance building in Milson City. He doesn’t do subterfuge. Guarding Emile is fucking easy. He even updates his schedule every forty-five minutes and sends it to security for them to make changes.” Drake smirked.
“Yes, I have never had difficulty keeping track of Emile,” Vicus commented.
Drake sorted through the mess on his desk and found a USB. “This contains every threat against Emile.”
Vicus snatched the USB. “The current one you did not inform me of? As the Avenger, I should always be notified of threats to those in my territory, Drakius.”
“This one is…delicate.” Drake sat, waving to the seats opposite and waited until Vinn and Vicus sat. “I wouldn’t typically enter Emile’s suite to intercede as I did when Kieron and Crysta arrived, my brother can deal with nearly any situation thrown at him. And if you scorched them a bit, I don’t give a shit,” Drake said to Vinn before shrugging. “Kieron is actually one of Emile’s bodyguards, and as you know, Crysta is his ex-girlfriend, though that relationship ended over nearly twenty years ago. Still, even with that time elapsed, someone wants to see them back together, believes they should be together. And no, it’s not my Mother.” Drake smirked. Vinn closed his mouth. “I sent Emile to the Zurich Sanchez Compound for his own safety, and so Baron could investigate further into the kidnapping attempt ten days ago.”
“The one Kieron and his friends intervened and saved Emile?” Vicus asked.
“Yeah. We’ve been able to identify who is behind this attempt. Cynthia Jennings. She is…mentally unstable.”
Cynthia Jennings…Cyndy…memories flashed through his mind, blood pumped through his veins, long forgotten words, thoughts, and feelings rose. Fire exploded inside him. A photograph flashed into his mind. All three Jennings siblings in a silver frame.
Fuck! That is what Emile had been saying this afternoon. The instinct Vinn had been feeling toward Kieron had not actually been the wizard wolf mixed creature but from someone around him. Kieron’s very own sister. Did Emile know? Or was he putting two and ten together and coming up with nearly the correct answer?
“You are thinking hard, brother,” Vicus spoke quietly, slender, tall body tense.
Vinn studied Drake. “Did you tell any of this to Emile?”
“No. Emile would have insisted he deal with the matter himself, and normally I would be happy for him to be involved, taking over even. He is fair and knows what the right thing to be done is. But not in this case. It’s personal.”
“He knows. Today he told me not to look at Kieron as the problem, but someone around him. I didn’t get it at the time, but it made me think.” Vinn rose, a lamp bursting into flames beside him. “Emile was giving me the heads up without filling me in because he damn well wants to deal with the problem himself…” A thought, one that had begun to unfurl, clutched his heart and filled him with cold dread. “Cynthia Jennings was at the Alliance soldier Academy with Marc. They were friends. He said she was a little off, but that sort of thing never drove him away from others. Instead, he felt sorry for people who didn’t quite fit in, took them under his wing.”
“You believe she had something to do with Marc’s death?” Vicus asked quietly, the tone of his voice telling how angry he truly was.
“I’m beginning to think so. Most of the time Marc could tell the ‘off’ people and creatures apart from the psycho’s, but maybe she hid it well back then. If Emile and Crysta separated around the same time, it may have unbalanced her further if she felt he was a pivotal part of her family.” Vinn studied Drake, who looked tense and worried. “Does Emile ever go to the soldier academy?”
“No. We train soldiers here for the Alliance and individual paranormal groups. The Starters pack train for specialty skills.” Drake frowned. “The Alliance Soldier Academy is the first stage of training, a newbie camp to weed out those who will make it as a soldier. If they can’t get through the Academy, they are advised to look for another occupation. If they have potential, they are sent here for intensive, full training. Baron and Drax attend, they take turns every two weeks to see how the recruits are progressing.” Drake met Vi
nn’s eyes steadily, anger simmering. “Twenty years ago there was a charity event. Kirsten was putting it on to raise awareness of what the soldiers go through when on the front line fighting for civilians’ safety. They held the event at the convention center in the city, and all the recruits were invited. Emile was there.”
Vinn felt stabbed in the heart. “And if Marc scented Emile, he would have known we are all mates. What was the time frame? Marc disappeared on the eighteenth of May from the Academy, about eight in the evening. He called me, excited about something but said he had to confirm first before letting me know. I never heard from him again, and he was found three days later torn apart by Renegades.”
Drake looked ill. “The charity event was in the afternoon of the eighteenth of May. I am so sorry, Vinncent. If Marc and Cyndy were friends, and she saw his reaction to Emile, she would have had a psychotic moment.”
“Marc was trusting,” Vicus said flatly. “He would immediately believe Cynthia Jennings if she offered to introduce him to Emile, which she could do as her family and Emile are friends,” Vicus said, head lowering. “If he had only come to us, told us.”
It was a rare moment for Vicus to share his emotions outside of their family, but the loss of Marc had devastated them all.
“He sounds like a good man. I would have liked having him as a brother,” Drake said sincerely. “Now I would like to bring the person responsible for his death to justice. We need to speak to Emile.” Drake looked pained. “It will be difficult, he cares very much for the Jennings. Kieron has just been promoted to Enforcer under Drax at the Starters pack, and he and Crysta are high up in the Armstrong coven. This will wound Emile deeply. What in the hell was she thinking to try and kidnap Emile?”
Vinn growled. “Is she insane, or just wants things her way? Doesn’t matter. She pays for my mate’s death.”
Chapter Ten
“Emile? Why are we meeting here?”
Emile watched Kieron Jennings stride purposefully toward him through the forest on the outskirts of the Sanchez Compound. Emile had always appreciated Kieron’s sense of humor, his pack mentality, and his affection for others. They were friends, Emile close to both Kieron and Crysta, and what he had to say wounded him. He did not want to devastate his friends but what had been done, what was happening, could not be ignored.
Despite what his brother Drake thought, Emile knew about Cynthia, today confirming his suspicions. Numerous times over the years she lamented over Crysta and Emile no longer being romantically involved and did all she could to push them back together. Emile had ignored the young wolf’s antics but he no longer could, and he was disgusted and sickened by what he believed she had done.
Betrayed and set Marc up to be murdered.
“You must protect yourself and Crysta, Kieron. What is going to happen, the repercussions of the past, will impact you both. I do not want that, but we both know justice must be served.”
“Okay.” Kieron frowned, looking around. “What’s going on? What is about to happen?”
Emile was straightforward, his family often saying he was harsh in his truths. There was no way not to be harsh now, so he told Kieron the truth, everything he had learned about Cynthia, the possibility she had set Emile’s mate up to be murdered by Renegades.
“Emile,” Baron, Emile’s cousin, stepped out of the forest and gracefully moved so he was positioned close and took hold of Emile’s arm, drawing him back from Kieron.
“You found Trent?” he immediately asked.
“No, cousin, my brother hides well, but we are closing in on him. He will be found soon.” Baron waved a hand, and a dozen feline soldiers came out of the shadows of the forest. “Kieron, I am sorry to do this, but you understand I’m sure. Enforcer Kieron Jennings, you are to be detained by the Sanchez pride until you are cleared of any charges relating to the death of Marc Detroit and the attack on Prince Emile Sanchez and his mate, prince mate Vinncent Aston.”
Kieron lowered his head and placed his hands behind his back. “I understand. And Emile, thanks, and I’m sorry…”
“I will have the best representation for you and Crysta, Kieron. I do not believe for a moment either of you are involved.”
Kieron was led away by pride soldiers after being cuffed, and Emile turned angrily to Baron. His cousin held up a hand.
“I have to follow regulations and cuff him. And you shouldn’t have been out here having a private powwow. Cynthia Jennings could see it as a betrayal to her family and turn from wanting to match make you with Crysta to killing you. Come on, your mate has been alerted to what’s going on and is pissed.”
Emile shook off Baron’s hand and stormed away, thoroughly upset by the entire situation. When he had begun to suspect Cynthia a few months ago, he told himself he was being absurd, that despite the youngest Jennings’s peculiar behavior at times, her instability, she was a reasonable, lovely young female. And she was. Most creatures liked her and enjoyed her somewhat offbeat humor. How she had turned from that to being a killer baffled Emile and shook his belief in others to its very foundations.
He didn’t want to add to Kieron and Crysta suffering by having suspicion cast upon their characters. It was wrong. He turned to tell Baron that he must release Kieron immediately and stilled. Vinn was there, his silver eyes dark and luminous, anger in his strides.
Feeling the anger from his demon made Emile weary. He wished to warn his friend, he had hoped to protect Kieron and Crysta while at the same time help Vinn find retribution for Marc, for the mate that had been so brutally ripped from him, yet, for once, Emile had not managed to accomplish what he set out to do.
In fact, he may have made everything a great deal worse.
He expected his mate to snarl at him, for Vinncent to let loose the rage and hurt deep inside, and felt he deserved it for he had not managed to help anyone. But Emile was shocked, stunned in fact, when rather than yell and tell Emile how he had failed, what he had done was wrong, the demon cupped Emile’s face between his large, calloused hands and pressed their lips together.
So many emotions flooded through the bond and came out in the kiss. He felt the demon’s immense, soul-shattering love for him and expressed the same love he felt for the demon back. He felt their passion, the searing heat that would never be sated, and tenderness, such incredible tenderness.
“I am sorry, my demon,” Emile said, feeling lost and a little broken as their lips parted. “I…have failed to help.”
Vinncent leaned his head down and rested his forehead against Emile’s. “I feel your pain for the wolf you thought you knew, the sadness of her deeds. I feel your horror and loss, my beauty. At times, there is nothing we can do. It is a hard lesson I have had to live with since Marc died that we cannot change the paths others have taken. But you and me, we stick together. I know what you feel for the Jennings, I will not tarnish them for what Cynthia Jennings has done, but she must pay. I will stand by you as you stand by them, but I will insist our Marc has retribution. The cruelty of what she did affects more than Marc and me, it affects you and her siblings. And that we cannot change.”
Sniffing his mate’s rich scent, the maleness, the strength, inside him, Emile pressed close. “You are right. You have opened my eyes, my mind, and my heart and I am forever yours. I will suffer the loss of Marc, and be devastated I never met him the day our paths crossed.”
“Shhh, my love.” Vinn kissed Emile’s forehead. “I love you, Emile, with my very soul.”
“As I love you, Vinncent Aston.”
“It’s time to collect Cynthia Jennings and arrest her for the murder of prince mate Marc and your attempted abduction,” Baron interrupted quietly. “It’s passed time for her to be made accountable for her crimes.”
Emile sadly nodded and stepped back, though remained touching his mate. “We will do that together, mate.”
Vinn frowned, shaking his head. “I feel your pain. You are full of sorrow for her. You cared for her.”
“And you are my
mate. She took from us, she devastated many. As Baron said, it is time she is made accountable.”
* * * *
There was no need to hunt Cynthia Jennings. For the last few months she had been under surveillance as per Drake’s orders and never out of their sight. Vinn had heard the Crown Prince of the felines cursing the fact he hadn’t put a phone tap on so as to record her ordering the abduction of Emile and Vinn, but in the end, it didn’t matter.
Together Vinn and Emile walked into her colorful little cottage near the Starters pack grounds and though this wolf had taken his Marc, his precious mate, he was just plain weary and saddened by it all. Crysta Jennings was with her sister and sobbed as Emile personally cuffed Cynthia, who also cried, saying how sorry she was. She was, to Vinn, just a scared young wolf shifter who made some horrible choices. Crysta told them that Cynthia had been upset when Emile and Crysta broke off their long relationship and that the young girl, only a pup at the time, just twenty-two, didn’t want to lose Emile, lose their ‘family.’ When Marc had scented Emile, she had seen him as a threat to her family’s happiness, that herself, Crysta and Kieron would never see Emile once he was mated, that he and Crysta would never be a happy couple again and providing Cynthia with surrogate parents.
It was sad and pathetic, and she knew if Emile and Vinn ever met, they might figure out what she had done, so she had ordered them to be abducted, though she had no clue what to do after that, maybe a witch potion to make them forget. Because she couldn’t hurt Emile, she loved him.
That night after Cynthia was locked up, Emile was withdrawn and quiet. Vinn held his mate close. He knew it would take a while before Emile actually understood there had been nothing he could do, that not even her brother and sister had known, and for now, he was grateful they were together. It was strange for Vinn to finally lay to rest the need to avenge his mate. The Renegades who had actually killed Marc were long dead. Now the one behind it all, a freaking foolish young girl, was paying for what she had done.
