by Kym Grosso
“The maid could have stolen it…thrown it out. We might never find it,” Quintus said.
“No, no, no. The Lily is a very honest hotel. The owners knew my parents. It’s possible they have it. But first we should see the Elders.”
“Tell us a little more about the Elders.” Jake studied Kai. Her body language told him she was still angry about Cassandra. She crossed the cabin to sit in a lone captain’s chair, avoiding physical contact.
Kai sighed and ran the pad of her finger in circles along the rim of her glass. “I can’t say exactly. I’ve only seen them twice in my lifetime. Once when I first went into hiding and then again when I was looking for Kasdeya. Each time, I spoke to two different men, but the myths say there are nine. Nine symbolizes wisdom. They rarely see others, and in my case…they wore masks. I cannot tell their voices apart. They could be the ferry boat captain, a lawyer or simply a mystical creature unto their own. There is no way to tell who they are and that is the point. They wield magick but I’m not privy to the extent of their powers. It’s all very secretive.”
“The last time you saw them, what did they do? I can’t imagine anyone would be happy about you seeing Kasdeya,” Jake surmised.
“No, no they weren’t.” Kai’s gaze dropped, staring into the golden liquid. “They only agreed because of Shilan. They know all we have sacrificed. I had to find her.”
“And how do we find them?” Quintus asked.
“The first time, so very long ago, they brought me to them while I slept and I saw them as a dream. But this last time…when I was looking for Shilan, I concentrated. Meditated. I’m brought to them.”
“You materialized?” Jake asked.
“Yes, but they brought me to them. That was the first time I’ve done that. The second was when I escaped Kasdeya. And the third…”
“Sneaky little pixiu,” Quintus said. The corner of his lip crept upward.
“I can’t do it on the fly like you do, but I imagine with practice…” Kai shrugged. “I guess now that I have Jake, now I’m somewhat disguised with him, I could practice. If we get in trouble with Kasdeya, I’m not sure I could do it again. Same with shifting…it just happened.”
“You were amazing,” Jake stated, pride in his voice.
“It’s true. You’re magnificent.”
“What…what did I look like?” Kai nervously bit her lip and crossed her legs.
“You were…” Jake glanced at Quintus and back to his mate. “Golden. You had wings, fangs. I imagine your bite is deadly.”
“If you go for the throat? Most definitely.” The vampire nodded.
“Sweetheart, I know you’re a little scared, and I’m not sure how much you’re remembering just yet. I know when I first shifted, it was all a little fuzzy. Sure I was feeling good, running all around but the rest of it…my interaction with the pack, my Alpha. It took a few times to get used to it.”
“The little girl said I would fly.” She looked sheepishly at Jake. “When you spoke, I wanted to resist. Like that time with Jonathon. I wanted to kill him…but I couldn’t. It was you.”
“I know this master business is unsettling. To think someone else owns you. But I was just telling Quintus that when I’ve commanded you, it is as if you’re wolf. I don’t know what it’s like for others, but I think because I’m Alpha, you’re like pack.”
“I don’t know, Jake. I’d like to believe that but I’ve been a…”
“Alone. I get it. You say that all the time, but no matter how all this plays out, you’re not alone anymore. You’ve got me. You’ve got Quint.” Soon you’ll have an entire pack behind you. Jake wasn’t sure how the other wolves would accept her or how she’d accept them. As his mate, she’d have to move from Wyoming. It was too soon to talk about the details, so he opted to leave the future out of the conversation. “And as far as Kasdeya is concerned, I’m bettin’ you’ll give that bitch a run for her money. Those demon assholes didn’t take too kindly to you.”
“She knows you are a threat,” Quintus stated.
“My guess is she took Shilan to smoke you out. You know how it is with us supernaturals. We may be a few hundred years old but this is a long game. Hell, Alphas have a history of waiting it out for a battle when territory is involved.”
“We need the book,” she said. “I should have read it. I skimmed it a few times as a teenager but it was scary shit. And when you don’t have your parents…all I wanted to do was hide.”
“This isn’t your fault, Kai.” Jake’s expression softened.
“No. That’s the thing,” she interrupted. She shook her head, her lips pursed. “It is my fault. I am the pixiu. I chose to hide. I chose to isolate us. Shilan? She just wanted for once in a fucking hundred years to go somewhere, somewhere else besides Wyoming. So she went somewhere that brought her comfort. She went to the only other place she called home. She’d kept in touch with childhood friends who were supernatural. But she never got to see any of them because something that wants me took her. No, this? What’s happening here is nothing but my fault.”
“If there is one thing I know sweetheart, our destiny is exactly what it is. It doesn’t mean you’re responsible. Look at me. I didn’t choose to be wolf. I didn’t choose to be Alpha. I’m going to leave my home and it’s no one’s fault. It’s just life.” Jake pressed to his feet and went to her. As he approached, her eyes glistened with the tears that threatened to fall. Jake knelt before her, gently cupping her cheek with his hand. She leaned into him and his heart ached. “You see Quintus over there?”
Kai gave a subtle nod, her eyes darting to the vampire.
“We’ve all got a history. Quint has his. It’s not like he asked to be a vampire. He went through hell with his sire. It’s not about deserving or not deserving. He didn’t cause it to happen. It was just meant to be. And you,” Jake gave a small smile as she gazed into his eyes, “this isn’t your fault either. You’re a very special creature. You’re meant to be in this world, and I’m sure your sister would agree that this is not your fault. It’s not hers either. I know you’ve been sequestered out there in Yellowstone, but the fact is that there is evil in all corners of this great blue planet. Maybe it was meant to be that it’s us who deal with Kasdeya?”
“What do you mean?”
“This bitch has been torturing people for centuries. Maybe this is how it’s all supposed to go down. You. Me. Quint. Together we are stronger. We’re the ones who will destroy her, make some room in this universe for something positive.”
“He’s correct,” Quintus agreed. “I know it’s harsh. As for your sister? I’m certain she’s alive. They will keep her to get to you. Or maybe the Kris?”
“Do you think Ilsbeth is somehow tied to Kasdeya?” Kai asked.
“It’s hard to say. I was there that day when Jax went after Mick. That demon…it’s sealed away. But Ilsbeth, when I found her in the woods…there’s no explanation for her condition. It’s my guess that Mick did it to her, that he fucked with her head, maybe somehow used the demon to destroy her spirit. It’s not unreasonable that he used the demon’s dark magick on her,” Jake theorized.
“It’s even possible that there’s a remnant of dark magick inside her. The demon itself could have hitched a ride and is lying dormant. These demons, they feed off each other,” Quintus told them. “Maybe one of them promised the other one something very special. A certain Kris. A certain pixiu. And to be perfectly honest, and I don’t want to scare you, Kai, you’ve already said that you don’t know what powers your sister harbors. She might not be like you but she could be something equally desirable to them. We just don’t know yet.” Quintus sighed and closed his eyes, resting his head on the back of his seat.
“If Shilan isn’t in San Francisco, I will find her, but Kasdeya? I’m going to kill her myself. She’s a dead woman.”
“That’s a girl. Get mad. Because you’re going to need that rage to transform.” Jake pressed to his feet and took her hand in his, helping her to stand
. He wrapped his arms around his mate, once again sensing her emotions as her walls fell. “We’ve got this, Kai. We’ll find your sister, and send that demon bitch back to hell where she belongs.”
Jake closed his eyes and focused, pouring his calming energy into his mate. In the deep recesses of his mind, he hid his apprehensions. Although Quintus was surely lethal, her spectra had successfully attacked the vampire. They needed to get their hands on Kai’s book. He prayed it had a clue as to the significance of the Kris and how to defeat Kasdeya.
Jake held Kai’s hand as they ascended in the high speed elevator. He’d been thankful Cassandra hadn’t been at the front desk to greet them. Kai hadn’t marked him yet, and he suspected her primal instincts would surge. Having already shifted once in New Orleans, her beast would demand its mate. And although Cassandra was human, Kai classed her as a threat.
As the elevator doors opened to the penthouse suite, he breathed a sigh of relief. Tonight they’d go to the Elders. He’d been tempted to go during daylight, but Quintus would not be at full strength, and he couldn’t be sure if Kai needed to draw on the power of the moon to shift. While most shifters could transform any time, day or night, juvenile wolves often had difficulty doing so without a lunar influence.
Sunlight poured into the ultra-modern suite. Its stark white design gave a clean but sterile appearance to the trendy room. Through the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows he could see the sparkling bay in the distance. Spying a remote control on a glass end table, he pecked away at the keys. Room darkening shades automatically dispensed from above, blocking all the sunlight. This was exactly why he’d chosen Cassandra’s hotel. In addition to having wards, she had amenities that suited supernaturals well.
“How about I order us some food? I’m starving.” Jake turned to Kai who glided her fingertips over the crimson crushed velvet sofa. “You hungry?”
“Hmm?” she asked.
“Do you want something to eat? I know we ate dinner last night but…do you want breakfast?”
“Yeah, yeah. Pancakes?” she replied, her focus drawn to a large wall mural depicting angels. “I…maybe something else?”
“I’ll get steak and eggs too.” Jake addressed Quintus who was rummaging through several silver paper shopping bags.
“Your girl likes Nordstrom?” Quintus smiled.
“She’s not my girl. And yeah, everyone likes Nordstrom. You want something to eat?”
“Dim sum. Your friend.” Quintus drew out the word several seconds longer than needed, annoying Jake. “Does she have donors in the building? I want to make sure I’m fueled up for later.”
“I think they’ve got you covered.” Jake crossed the room to a glass desk and slid open the drawer, retrieving a hotel book. He flipped open the pages and gave a chuckle at the bottle list, blood available from different regions of the world as if he were reading a wine menu. At the very bottom, he spied an item simply labeled donor. “Yeah, you’re good. I’ll order you one. I assume you want a woman, yeah?”
“Either sex will do. I’m still buzzing from both of you. This’ll serve to top me off, if you will.” Quintus laughed and walked out of the room.
“I want to take a shower,” Kai stated, her voice soft. “I hate this.”
“You okay?” Jake couldn’t help but wonder if she were talking about the situation or the fact they were staying in Cassandra’s hotel.
“I’m fine.” Kai brushed past him, going to the shopping bags. “Did your friend get me anything to wear or am I going to have to go out?”
“Listen, Kai.” Fucking hell. Neither one of them had known each other three days ago, and now her instinct to mate was driving her jealousy through the roof. “Cassandra. Cass. She’s just a friend.”
“Just a friend,” she mimicked. “I get it. I know what the word friend means to a guy. I may not have dated supernaturals but I dated plenty of humans. Players. A girl in every city. I just met you. You don’t owe me any explanations.”
“It’s not that simple and you know it. This thing between us…it’s intense. I haven’t even been able to talk about it with Logan or Jax.”
“Why would you have to tell them?”
“Because, shit…don’t you think this is hard on me? You wear my mark, and all I’m starting to think about is how I want to complete the mating with you. It makes no fucking sense except I respect you, my wolf recognizes your beast.”
“That’s it? Really? Because this is going to be the shortest fucking mating ever. I mean maybe we need to reconsider this.”
“There’s no reconsidering,” he lied. A few wolves had denied their mates but it never ended well. Mother Nature was a force, and rejecting her had consequences. “This thing you’re feeling right now. It’s just your beast…she’s protective of me. Think about this. Be rational.” Nice Jake. Way to go. As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Above all else, he knew how to talk to a woman and using any form of the word rational was a big fucking mistake.
“Go fuck yourself.” Kai reached for a bag with her name printed boldly on a heart label. “Ugh. Really?”
“I know you hate it, but sweetheart…”
“No, don’t you even sweetheart me. We are in this…this hotel…owned by a girlfriend of yours. Everywhere I go there is some girl you fucked giving me clothes. How I could let myself believe that we were meant to be…that somehow I have a mate…I’m an idiot,” she huffed, sliding her fingers into the handle and clutching the bag to her chest.
“I’m telling you. Cass and I are just friends. Did I have sex with her once? Yeah, but it was literally just once. She means absolutely nothing to me.”
“Like us?” Kai raised an angry eyebrow at him, her gaze locked on his.
“We’re mates, Kai. Cass is human. We had a few laughs and that’s it.” Jake shook his head, and blew out a breath. He was tired and hungry, losing patience. “You and I both have a past. What’s going on is related to our mating. Cassandra isn’t even here right now. It’s just us. You’re my mate.”
“I’m sorry, Jake,” she whispered, screwing her lids closed, her lips pressed tight together. She lifted her gaze to meet his. “I just…I don’t know. I’m not used to thinking of myself as a shifter. I’m not like you. I’m a loner. Everything that’s going on between us. You’re…you’re incredible, but I’m not used to this. My beast…she doesn’t like this. I can’t control her. I hate what’s happening.”
“Kai. From now on in, it’s just you and me, you get that, right? There are no others unless we choose. Even though I shared you with Quint, I’m only going to allow that so we can explore your fantasies. But I can tell you right now that I will never be with another woman again…not ever.” Jake set down the book and closed the distance between them. He gently cupped her cheeks with his palms, his eyes locked on hers. “I’m your lover. Your mate. Yours only. I’m your Alpha. Yes?”
“Yes.” Kai’s lips trembled as she spoke. “I never thought this could happen. That I’d feel this way about a man. For over a hundred years, I avoided supernaturals, never indulging in the thought I’d find a partner. I could never have that with a human. I didn’t want to fall in love and watch them die. I’d have no right. And so…this…this thing between us. It’s so intense. And…you…you make me feel good. I don’t want to lose this. I don’t want to wake up and have someone tell me it’s all a joke.”
“This isn’t a joke, Kai. I’m yours. You need to take me, mark me. As much as I want to mate with you, and believe me I do, I want you to be ready. I’m a wolf. This is something we’re never really expecting but we know it’s a possibility. But I get you need time to process this whole thing.”
As Kai nodded, Jake leaned into her, his lips brushing hers. She tasted of honey, her soft mouth responding to his. As he deepened the kiss, she relaxed into his embrace. His cock lengthened, his delicious mate once again in his arms. The crinkling of the paper bag crushed between their bodies broke the silence.
“Hmm.”
He tore his lips from hers, taking a deep breath. “Jesus, do you know how bad I want to go eat you right now and skip this whole breakfast thing?”
“Sounds tempting.” She laughed.
“How about you take a shower and I’ll join you as soon as I’m finished ordering the food. We have time for a quickie before they deliver, and then I’m going to make love to you for a few hours after we eat.”
“We should get some sleep maybe?” she asked with a sexy smile.
“No rest for the wicked. Besides, we have all day to sleep.” Jake kissed her one last time and released her.
“I’ll be waiting,” she told him, slowly backing away. “Hurry.”
“I’ll be there in just a minute.” As Kai turned and disappeared from his sight, he licked his lips, the taste of his mate fresh in his mind.
Jake picked up the phone and dialed room service, firing off their order. As he set down the phone into its cradle, he sighed. As much as he wanted to stay up all day making love, Kai was right. They needed to get as much rest as possible, conserve their energy. They’d have to be at the top of their game to defeat Kasdeya.
Jake turned and was walking to the bedroom, when the doorbell rang. “What the hell? There’s no way that could be ready.”
He reached for the door handle, and stopped cold, cautious of the delivery. Pressing his eye to the hole, he spied into the hallway, catching a glimpse of familiar blonde hair. As he swung open the door, the woman gave him a broad smile, launching herself into his arms. She smelled as he’d always remembered, yet no longer did his chest beat with passion for the gorgeous adventurous woman he’d met in San Diego. As he released her he grinned, happy to see his friend. Cassandra Evans.
Chapter Fourteen
As the hot spray sluiced down her body, Kai’s thoughts spiraled, reflecting on her previous life. Albeit alone, her routine in Wyoming had been satisfying, safe. A week ago she’d analyzed the geodetic data of the Yellowstone caldera, and had been honing a ground deformation model. Every week, she’d made it a habit to do physical inspections, documenting changes throughout the park. Although one could easily get lost within its great expanse, there was nowhere she hadn’t seen.
