by Kym Grosso
“Hell, she could probably take someone in a car. I guess we’ll find out soon.” Jake laughed. “And that thing she does with the gold? Can materialize like you. Obviously she can’t control that yet.”
“She’ll hone her talents over time,” Quintus predicted. “You’ll guide her. She listens to you.”
“I have to tell ya. This master thing? I don’t really know if that’s the right term.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because she’s my mate. The two times I’ve,” Jake paused, considering his words, “commanded her. It’s no different than how I’d talk to wolves. The Anzober pack. I was with them for a while, and I could do it. Once you establish dominance, it’s natural.”
“And so it is with Kai. Except she’s not wolf.”
“No, not even close. But it doesn’t matter. That’s what I’m saying.”
“Not all masters are wolves,” Quintus stated, his tone filled with regret. “You talk to the pixiu in the manner to which you are accustomed.”
“She’ll become part of my pack.”
“Others may not accept her,” he warned.
“Yeah, well, they can go fuck themselves, because she’s mine. You know it’s taken me a while to come to terms with becoming Alpha, but I know in my heart…Anzober is mine. I think I’ve always known.”
“Ah…Acadian Wolves. You’re close to Logan?” Quintus asked.
“Yeah, but it’s not just Logan. Before Logan, Marcel ran the pack. And his father before him. I was away for a while…joined the Navy, but yeah, the pack was always home.”
“But wolves leave.”
“Yeah, I know. Tristan went to Philadelphia. Hunter’s in Wyoming.”
“So why not California?”
“I don’t know.” Jake shrugged. “My mom and dad? They live in Hawaii now. They’re still considered part of Acadian Wolves but they rarely get involved with pack activities. Just spend most of their time traveling.”
“Siblings?”
“I’ve got a brother.” Jake’s chest tightened at the mention of his only sibling. Julian. He shook his head and took a draw of his whiskey.
“I take it he’s not in New Orleans?”
“Nah, he’s rogue. Took off about twenty years ago. At first we kept in touch with phone calls here and there, but then just kind of lost contact. At the time, I was so fucking pissed. Like how could he just leave Mom and Dad? It didn’t make sense. Rogue wolves…they’re not that common. Haven’t seen it happen very often in my lifetime. My parents seemed to take it pretty well, but I couldn’t forgive him.”
“And now?”
“Now?” Jake gazed into his now empty glass and blew out a breath. “I guess I’m wondering if maybe he’s an Alpha like me. Like maybe he chose not to go after a pack. He was close to Marcel. So fightin’ him wouldn’t have been an option.”
“Is that when you joined the Navy?”
“Yeah, I just needed to get away from everyone. My parents seemed to be A-Okay with it. Same with Marcel. When Jules left? I don’t know. None of it made sense at the time. It’s one thing to decide to move like Tristan did. It’s a whole other ball game to pack up and hit the road with no forwarding address. That right there is some bullshit.” Jake sighed and shoved to his feet. He went to the bar and grabbed the bottle, returning to fill both their glasses. “When all that shit first went down in San Diego, I didn’t want to go. But then once I got there, when I got to the beach, I was like, ‘I could live here’. I love the beach, man.”
“The sunsets,” Quintus mused.
“Oh yeah.” He sighed. “I even took surfing lessons.”
“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.” Quintus smiled.
“It was sick. Loved it.”
“So why come back?”
“New Orleans. This is home. Or was. Maybe I’ll be making a new home. With Kai.”
“You can always visit, my friend. But you have to chase destiny.” Quintus stretched his neck and took a quick sip of the amber liquid. “Don’t take this the wrong way because neither of us truly knows what’s happened to the other Alpha, but maybe the pack identified you as their true leader. Even though you put him in that role, the wolves didn’t want him. And so things fell apart when you left.”
“Well, fuck. Thank you, Quint.” Jake coughed, giving a roll of his eyes. He’d been racked with guilt since leaving San Diego, but had justified his actions, telling himself he’d taken care of the pack.
“You’re very welcome.” Quintus nodded, raising his eyebrows.
“It’s not that the thought hadn’t crossed my mind, but you need to understand that when I left, all was good. I never got the feeling it would all go to shit. But I guess there was part of me that knew better. The pack was fragile. But then there was a bigger part that wanted to get the hell home, and it’s that part that won out.”
“You’ll fix things.”
“I will. It’s why we need to get in and out of San Fran. Then I’ve got to get my ass to San Diego.”
“Ah…but Kai.”
“Listen Quint…” Jake paused, struggling to articulate his thoughts. “It’s just that…what happened…”
“You saved my life.”
“I wouldn’t go that far. You were still alive. We helped you along,” Jake said. The explanation almost sounded believable.
“No, the poison would have killed me eventually. I know you didn’t have time to get me a donor. I wouldn’t have lasted more than a few hours,” he argued.
“You’re good now.”
“Thank you…for everything.” Quintus’ eyes locked on Jake’s in silent understanding of what they’d done. “Your blood. The rest…I know she’s your mate.”
“I can sense everything about her.” Her desires. Her fantasies. “She hasn’t been with any other supernaturals. I’m her first. And you…”
“We are an unlikely trio.” Quintus gave a small smile.
“Yeah, I guess we are. I will push her as far as I can, but Quint…you need to know she’s mine.”
“I understand more than you know. I’m honored to have you as an ally. A friend.” Quintus closed his eyes in thought then opened them, his gaze settling on the dark sky. “Kasdeya is formidable.”
“We’ll kill her. Kill it,” Jake stated, his voice laden with anger. Things had come to a head. Not only had she stolen Kai’s sister, the demon bitch had killed children.
“This will not be easy. She has lived many years. This recent development…”
“A triad Goddess…a demon. I know. But Quint, I’m gonna tell you right now. If I learned anything being a SEAL it’s that when things get dark, like really fucking dark, you’ve got to calm your shit. You stand up to the enemy even when you’re pretty damn sure it could kill you. You learn that shit pretty early on when you’re swimming in the Pacific at night. Sharks don’t care if you’re immortal.”
“I’ve lived a long time and I haven’t attempted to kill her yet. It’s not that I thought I couldn’t but it would be assumed I’d take over her territory. No offense to the west coast, but I’m a New Yorker now. It suits me. All that being said, she’s no longer a pure vampire…not one who simply dabbles in the occult. She’ll be hard to kill.”
“There’s a difference between playing with dark magick and being a demon. Even if we manage to break apart the triad, she’s going to be hell bent on killing us all. She was already strong before this shit went down. And Quint? Holy hell. She killed those kids. I’ve seen a lot of shit in my lifetime. War-torn areas where these kids are tortured. The girls are raped and sold as slaves. The boys are forced to be child soldiers. People can claim assholes like that are human, but they’re every bit the monster Kasdeya is. She may be some sort of special demon but evil is everywhere. And I’m tellin’ you right now, it can be destroyed.”
“We need to find out more about this Kris. What it does.”
“It was supposed to protect Kai, but I don’t think in the way we thought it would.”
Jake recalled the bizarre interaction with Ilsbeth. “I thought it was to hide Kai’s abilities, to mimic the original spell, but I don’t think that’s the case now. I can tell you this. If that bitch Ilsbeth suggested we get the Kris, it probably was for a good reason, but I’m guessing she has an alternative motive. I can’t say what exactly but I’m telling you, she always has an angle.”
“I’d tend to agree, but she was quite different when we saw her. I’m not saying she’s not capable of faking it, because she’s as devious as they come, but I don’t know…at the time, I didn’t sense duplicity.”
“If she wants the Kris after we kill Kasdeya, we find Shilan, and Kai is safe with me, then by all means witchy woman is welcome to it. But until then, I better not see her spiny ass anywhere near us.”
“So then…the Kris? It has markings on it. We should take a look at it before we get there.”
“Yeah, I’ve thought about this. If Kai is somehow hidden by our mating and doesn’t need the Kris for that, then maybe it’s supposed to protect her some other way. But I don’t think it’s as simple as stabbing Kasdeya with it. Something else…I don’t know.” Jake sensed Kai as soon as she’d woken, going on alert as she opened the door.
“We need my book,” she told them.
The Alpha’s heart tightened as she moved into the room, the bottom of her ass peeking through the hem of the t-shirt. His world stopped as her smile brightened the room and his lips turned upward at the sight of her. Mate. Mine. His magical creature had captivated him, and he inwardly laughed at how quickly he was falling for her.
Jake reached for Kai, tugging her onto his lap, and pressed his lips to her cheek. His cock stirred as she shifted onto his thick length. She giggled in response, and he smiled knowing she could sense his arousal. Quintus coughed, bringing his focus back to their dilemma.
“Hey. Maybe we ought to focus on what we’re going to do next before the wheels hit the ground? Or,” Quintus shrugged, sipping his drink, “I could watch you two fuck again.”
“What do you think, sweetheart? Strategize or fuck?” Jake joked.
“Hmm…definitely fuck.” Kai winked at her Alpha and smiled at Quintus.
“See there. My mate is a smart woman.”
“I’m a horny woman. But,” Kai put her hand in his, giving it a squeeze. “I suppose I’d like to live. So yeah…maybe back to planning.”
“The Kris,” Quintus said.
“Kasdeya’s demons or whatever the hell they are…the ghosts…they weren’t afraid of it,” Jake added.
“Maybe they weren’t allowed to touch it,” Kai guessed. “They aren’t beings per se. They’re ghosts, reporting to Kasdeya.”
“But they’re sure as hell capable of attacking,” Jake said, recalling how they’d shot poisoned speared light.
“True,” Quintus agreed. “My guess is they can’t physically take an object with them.”
“Something about this isn’t right. I thought when we got the Kris I’d be magically protected, that other supernaturals couldn’t see me, sense me. But when we were in the Serpent’s Breath, it felt different,” Kai said.
“I’m pretty sure that us finding each other, us being mates. It’s changing things. But Ilsbeth? Samantha? Witches never tell you something for no reason. I texted Samantha and Luca before we left, trying to see if she knew anything. Haven’t heard back.”
“It’s possible Samantha doesn’t know. This information comes from the high priestess,” Quintus said.
“Former high priestess,” Jake corrected.
“I think we can all agree that no matter whether she remembers or not, Ilsbeth still holds power. I think I’d know if it was all an act, but it matters little. Her magick lies dormant but exists deep inside her. She wanted this Kris to be discovered.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if she knew about Dominique. Her kids being murdered,” Jake said. “If there’s one thing I know about that bitch, it’s this…she’s manipulative. Powerful. If she wanted Kasdeya dead and could do it herself, it would already be done and done. Nope. This screams of a set up.”
“I hate to say it but I agree with you. Her memories are entirely different but deep within her psyche, her magick remains,” Quintus agreed.
“So what are you saying? She somehow duped us into going to get this athame from the vampire because she couldn’t get it?” Kai asked.
“Maybe she didn’t know where it was?” Quintus suggested.
“Maybe Kai’s presence…something about her jarred the memory, the desire to get the Kris. But there’s no way Ilsbeth is going to ask for it because she’s a different person, or at least that’s what she’s playin’ at.”
“I think we need the book. There might be something in it. We can go to the Elders. They might be able to help us. They will sense me as soon as we land,” Kai told them.
“Yes to both,” Jake agreed. “For whatever reason, San Francisco has no pack, and I’m guessin’ that’s because Kasdeya is a freak tri-breed.”
“If she’s part wolf, she’s running some kind of magick to keep them out of her city. She’s got a stronghold on the territory,” Quintus said.
“The Elders. They’re tightlipped with outsiders, but we’ll need their help to find Kasdeya.” Kai shifted on Jake’s lap but made no move to stand.
“She may attempt to ambush us. Do we have anywhere safe besides this plane? Because we’re going to land there in the morning, and we’ll need a place to crash until tomorrow night.”
“I’ve booked us a suite at a secure hotel in the Financial District. After we see Kasdeya, we hop the jet to San Diego.” There was no way he was staying any longer than necessary. He had to get to his pack as soon as possible.
“Who runs it?” Quintus asked.
“It’s independently owned,” Jake replied.
“I didn’t think any wolves were in the city.”
“It’s not run by a wolf. A human owns it.”
“Interesting.” Quintus raised his eyebrows. “A human, huh? Navy Seal?”
“No. She’s…”Jake began.
“Ah…a she?”
Kai’s eyes drifted out the window, her jealousy spearing through her. Jake sensed it immediately, and he carefully chose his words. “She’s just a friend.”
“I see.” Quintus smiled.
“She’s a friend,” Jake insisted.
Cassandra Evans. He’d met her on a whale watching trip. After they’d celebrated a sighting of an enormous blue mammal, they’d had dinner. Over a long weekend, they’d laughed and watched sunsets, made love only once. She’d just come out of a serious relationship and hadn’t been interested in dating. Jake had been relieved, aware that there was no future with a human. He’d texted her before they’d gone to Bourbon Street, making arrangements. Although she wasn’t supernatural, she was close with several witches, and kept her hotel well warded.
“Yeah, I got that part,” Quintus said; his voice carried a hint of suspicion. “Where are we staying?”
“C Towers. She’s the owner.”
“Why would we stay with a human? We’re safer on the plane,” Kai challenged.
“She knows people. It’s warded. It’s only for a night.” Jake ran a comforting hand down her back, attempting to calm her. His palm rested on her hip, noting that he no longer sensed her. Jake eyed her in surprise. Knowingly or otherwise, she’d sealed him away from her emotions. “Cass will make sure we’ve got clothes. Weapons.”
“What could she possibly know about vampires? There’s very little that can protect you against Kasdeya. Don’t you think if it was that easy, we could just defeat her?” Kai said, her voice terse. She pressed onto her feet and walked to the bar. “I need a drink.”
“Normally I’d agree with you. But the fact of the matter is that if she’s surrounded by her sired children, other vampires, you’d have a chance against them. Given she’s part demon, you don’t know what other surprise guest she may have waiting for us,” Jake respon
ded.
“I’ve met Kasdeya. She’s seductive. Lethal.” Kai laughed and poured herself a bourbon. She downed it, exhaled loudly and poured another. “Before you even have a chance to take the stake out of your pocket, she’ll have it deep inside your chest.”
“The reality is that all we have is a Kris that may or may not help us. And the hope that that book of yours will tell us something. And the thing is Kai, Kasdeya may be a demon goddess, but I don’t care. I’ve been waiting for years to kill her,” Quintus seethed.
“Don’t underestimate him, Kai,” Jake warned.
“No offense, Quintus, but Kasdeya wasn’t even here, and her demons took you down,” Kai argued.
“True, but they caught us off guard back there. We were so worried about the Kris, we hardly had time to react. This time we take her head on. She will need all her energy, won’t be able to divest herself into phantoms.”
“How can you be so sure?” Kai shook her head and swigged back another shot.
“I’ve also met Kasdeya. And you’re right. She’s seductive, but the very human side of her remains her greatest weakness. She wants to be assured she is the most beautiful vampire, the most desired.”
“So what are you saying? She just wants to be loved?” Kai shook her head.
“She’ll say what you want to hear. Man or woman, she promises to please. She knows your greatest desire. She uses it to get what she wants.” Quintus paused and locked his eyes on hers. “Like she did to you, Kai. She knows you want your sister. She senses your despair and feeds off it.”
“That’s what demons do,” Jake agreed. “You must clear your thoughts. Shove your fears and fantasies to the furthest parts of your mind. Be a clean slate, so she can’t use it.”
“Even a hint and she’ll weave her dark magick. She drank of your blood, would have killed you if you hadn’t escaped. This is evil.” Quintus’ lips tensed in a tight line.
“We need to figure out how to use the Kris. If we can get our hands on that book, maybe we’ll find answers,” Jake said.
“I’ve been thinking about this. I took the book to San Francisco.” Kai rubbed her forehead then pinched the bridge of her nose. “I know I left it in the hotel room. I’d stayed at a place down in Chinatown because I went to see the Elders first.”
