by JF Holland
"What about the other psycho, uncle Davion?" Maya asked hopefully, and again her mother shook her head.
"She obviously took him with her, he's her pet after all. A few of the shifters have taken off looking for them. Leonard is helping, but there's no scent trail to follow. Leonard is hoping he'll be able to pick up the call of her blood." Her mother sighed, pushing her hair off her face. Then slowly turning, she looked towards the still unmoving jaguar. He had once been her husband, and murderer.
"Mum, you need to come with me and Jaden," Maya began, but Helena shook her head.
"I have to do clean up," she told Maya.
"You don't have to do that, I know he was a monster, but it's not fair of them to expect you to do that. Not to him."
"I want to," Helena told her quietly. Maya looked at her, her brow puckered.
"You want to?" Maya asked, and her mother nodded her head.
"I need to know he's gone. I need to know that you are safe," she told Maya. Then sighing, she lowered her eyes. Maya reached for her hand with her own, then groaned.
"Oh god mum, we need to find Lana. They are going to go after her. They wanted us for our blood. Something about it being stronger magic, if a blood relative was sacrificed willingly. That must be why they wanted us," Maya said, swallowing the lump in her throat at the thought. She wasn't sad that her father had never been a father, or loved her. It hurt to know that she'd only ever been wanted, so she could be used as a sacrifice. The thought was dreadful. Then she thought of her mother's death, and all the times he'd come searching for her. Her mother had protected her, sacrificing her life to do so. Maya closed her eyes, realising that if she hadn't existed, her father would have left her mother alone. She'd have been safe. It was her fault that her father had killed her mother, and her stomach turned over at the thought.
"I wanted you, never forget that. I love you and I still want you. God Maya, I'd do anything to protect you. I wish you didn't have to see this, that you'd never heard that, but…" her mother trailed off as Jaden's bike came into the clearing. "We'll discuss this later, but know this. None of this is your fault. You are not to blame for his actions," she said, toeing the still prone jaguar behind her.
"I know mum," Maya said, again squeezing her hand. "Thank you for protecting me, for keeping me safe," she said. Her mother kissed her cheek and stepped back as Sam walked over. He was followed by a very subdued Luc, and Balin. They crowded around them, while they decided the best way of getting Jaden home safely.
"I can carry him, no problem. My only concern is if he wakes while I'm flying with him. Have you ever tried holding onto a pissed off cat, believe me it's not pretty," Luc told them. Balin ran a hand through his hair and looked towards Agatha. She stood within the circle of Douglas's human arms, as the other shifters set about tying up John. They needed to make sure the witches spell had been completely removed, before they could let him loose. Agatha looked towards them, then leaning up she whispered something into Douglas's ear. He kissed her mouth softly, and ran a hand over her cheek. Tonight had not been a good night for them, his wolf had been at its deadliest and biggest. He and the others had had to wear a special amulet around their necks. Agatha had made them, for the sole purpose of controlling the beast. Therefore, allowing them to be of help tonight. Full moons were not the best time for a werewolf. All they wanted was their mates. Anyone who stood in their way, didn't usually fare so well.
"I take it you are concerned over transporting him?" Agatha asked Luc. He nodded, not meeting her eyes. Agatha knelt down beside Maya. She held her hand out, until Maya placed her hand into hers. Her other hand Agatha placed on the head of Jaden's sleeping cat. She said a few words in Latin, which Maya didn’t catch. A dull light appeared under Agatha's hand, where it rested on Jaden's head.
"Okay, he'll be fine to transport now," Agatha told them. Then giving Maya's hand a squeeze, she climbed back to her feet.
"Agatha, may I ask what you just did for him?" Maya asked, and Agatha smiled.
"I just told his subconscious that he's safe, tucked up in bed, and wrapped around his mate. That way, even if he shakes off the poison, he won't wake. Keeping you safe and comfortable, will override any discomfort he feels," Agatha explained.
"Thank you," Maya said. Giving her a hug, before bending to once more, run her hands through Jaden's fur.
As she stepped back, Luc scooped Jaden up into his arms. Nodding his head to Maya, before unfurling his wings. Flapping them, he took off into the air, holding Jaden safely against his chest. The black jaguars limp body lay relaxed, paws and head dangling over his arms.
Maya sighed, looking around the clearing, and frowned.
"What are you thinking about?" asked her mother, coming towards her again. Sam walked Jaden's bike closer.
"How the hell did none of the human's come upon this? I mean the noise was horrendous," Maya said perplexed.
"Humans in general, are very good at explaining away the things they won't, or can't accept," Sam told her. "Even if someone had walked into the clearing, they would have questioned the validity of what they'd seen. They would have put it down to a dream, nightmare, or possibly just an over active imagination, after watching a recent film." He explained, shrugging his shoulders as he put the bike on its stand. He then put his hands on Maya's waist, lifting her onto the seat of the motorbike.
Helena stepped forward, putting Maya's helmet on for her, before fastening the strap. Kissing her cheek, she then stepped back, as Balin moved forward. He put Jaden's helmet on, before swinging himself onto the front. Maya wrapped her arms his waist and leaned her head against his back, watching as Douglas once again transformed. This time, he went onto all fours. Bending slightly, so Agatha could climb onto his back.
"Quickest way back for them," Balin explained through the headset as he turned over the bike. He rocked, take it off the stand. Then releasing his grip on the brake, he twisted the accelerator. Kicking the bike into gear with his toe, he took off out of the clearing. Maya's last vision, before they entered the trees, was of her mother. She was stood with several of the others, surrounding her father's limp animal form.
Chapter Nine
Sam waited until Luc had taken off with Jaden, then looked at the sky. Poor Luc, he was running out of night time. He'd have to spend the day at the house.
Balin had just left with Maya on the back of Jaden's bike, and Douglas had left with Agatha on his back. A huge wolf running through the trees, with a woman astride it's back. Now that wasn't a sight you saw every day.
He looked towards the others, around the clearing, most were subdued. Edwin Murdoch, stood watch over his friend, John Forrester, as he slept on oblivious. Edwin as well as the others had shifted back, but John was still in his Tiger form. He lay on his side, snoring, with his legs tied together, and his muzzle taped up. It was the safest way to transport him.
There was a commotion to the east, and he turned. Just then a 4 x 4 came through the treeline, pulling up beside the group. Adam Lincoln stepped out of the big four wheelers, while his twin brother Nathan, sat behind the wheel. The engine was idling while the waited for John to be loaded. Adam was a big man, they both were, but then again grizzly bears weren't known for being small. Adam smacked Edwin on the shoulder as he came around him, then knelt down beside John. Shaking his head, he put his arms under the tiger shifter, hefting him up, and into his arms. He put his taped muzzle over his shoulder and his paws dangled down his back, as he slept on, oblivious.
"Do you need us to hang around?" Adam asked as he neared Sam and Helena, but she shook her head. Sam raised a brow at her.
"Thanks Adam, but no. I'd rather just get this over with, if you don't mind," she whispered back. Clearing her throat, as her chin came up. "Do you need anything for John," she said looking towards the tiger shifter in his arms, her hand lifting to rub his soft ears. "After all, it's our fault he's this way, he was helping my daughter and Jaden out. I feel responsible." Adam grinned, the dimple in his jaw
standing out as he shook his head. Long, brown, straggly hair moving with his head as his velvet chocolate, brown eyes, smiled down at her.
"Nah, Helena, this was not your fault. We offered our help willingly, so don't you worry about a thing. John boy here, will be just fine, once he's slept off the spell. We'll all be at your door tomorrow night for the barbecue, you'll see. Then you may be sorry you invited us. We have quite an appetite," he said laughing, as he strode off towards the back door of the Land Cruiser. He gently lay John's prone body, along the back seat. Edwin nodding to them as he passed, before jumping in beside the other tiger shifter. The rest of the shifters took off in animal form, melting into the trees, as Adam shut the passenger door. Nathan drove off, tooting his horn as it too disappeared through the treeline. Leaving nothing behind but the echo of the fight, and silence.
There was only herself and Sam left now, and obviously her still motionless husband.
"So would you like to wait until I've done this, then come back and do clean up?" Sam asked Helena, coming up behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, but she shook her head. Sighing, he rested his chin on her head.
"You don't have to do this Helena, I'm more than capable of sorting this out for you." She turned, and his arms slipped around her waist, as she faced him. Raising a hand, she placed it against his cheek, then stood on tiptoe, brushing her mouth lightly against his.
"I knew you would offer to finish this, but like I told Maya, I need to do this myself." Her lashes dropped, covering her navy eyes. Pulling his left arm from around her waist, he placed his fingers under her chin, raising her face. Her eyes opened again, and he looked deeply into her eyes.
Sam stood motionless, searching Helena's gaze for answers. To what, she didn't have a clue? But sighing, he slid his hand along her throat, and up, into her hair. Then cupping the back of her head, he took her mouth in a short, sweet kiss, making her toes curl. It baffled her, that he could have this kind of effect on her. I mean he was after all, a jaguar shifter. The same breed as her bastard of a husband, the one who'd revelled in causing her pain. He had eventually killed her, ending her human life, so how could she let her guard down around this man, this shifter? Why did she want to? Now, that was the more important question, but she'd be damned if she knew the reason. She just did.
Helena, returned his short heated kiss, revelling in the warmth of him mouth. He touched her nowhere but the back of her head, the base of her back and her lips with his. He kept their bodies separated, but the warmth of him seeped into her own chilled body. That again was a strange phenomenon. She was a phoenix, so surely she shouldn't be able to feel chilled.
Gasping, she pulled back from his kiss. Shock evident in her eyes, as Sam lifted his lashes. Frowning he tried to figure out what was wrong, but she just turned her head, looking over her shoulder. Sam looked too.
For fuck sake, why couldn't the bastard have just stayed down? Adrian, her sick, psycho husband had come around, and had shifted back to his human form. It tended to help along their healing, Jackals were the only shifters around who stayed in animal form when hurt. Shifting actually slowed down their healing, weird, but there it was. Sam just wished this one had stayed out of it. If he'd have stayed out, it would have made it easier on Helena. Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair.
"Hello wife, long time no see," Adrian mocked from where he sat on the floor, his wounds nearly healed.
Helen looked at him with loathing, as he sat there staring at her, his head cocked to one side.
"You look different dear? But I can't quite put my finger on why though." He began laughing after he'd said it, "Oh yes, now I know what's different. You're back from the dead. Aren't I the lucky one? I thought I'd got rid of you, but no, you're back again." He sighed dramatically, and Sam took a step in his direction. Fists clenching, and unclenching at his side, in his agitation. He stared at the piece of shit as he sat here; hands and legs still tied.
"Helena, aren't you going to introduce me to your fuck buddy? I mean, isn't that the polite thing to do when you meet up with your husband." Helena just growled, and he tutted at her, before bursting into laughter.
"Come now, no need for such reticence. You've seen most of the women I've fucked. Well, actually I believe you've cleaned up after me a few times." He laughed at his own joke, before sobering. "No, not funny, oh well. Thank you anyway. Jolly decent of you to get rid of my messes, a very loving, wifely thing to do. You're rather handy to have around. Actually, if I'd realised what you were, I may have hung on to you. Or maybe I would have just buried you instead of burning you, thus triggering your change. Oh well, we live and learn," he said with a shrug.
"I think you don't," Sam snapped. Kicking Adrian's shoe, with the toe of his boot. The action took his attention away from Helena.
The slit green eyes turned to him, looking him over. He then dismissed him, as if he wasn't up to par.
"Helena, if you're not going to introduce me. At least untie me, to give me a sporting chance?" he said, his eyes taking on a beseeching look.
"No, she won't be doing either. You'll not be getting another chance to cause her problems. This ends now," Sam said, putting himself in front of Helena.
"You're a rogue. A diseased predator, who has reached his expiry date. There is no room for you on the earth. You, and those like you, put us all under risk of detection. You are a threat to human, and shifter alike. You're a murder and a rapist, and your sentence has been passed. Now I'm going to see it's carried out." Sam watched the man sat on the floor. He just looked at him, no emotion evident in his features. Nothing, no remorse, not a thing. A completely blank expression in fact. Then he laughed, and Sam became confused, what the hell?
"You're serious?" Adrian laughed again. "You really think she's going to kill me? Do you know her at all? Helena was always a dutiful wife. Obedient, well apart from keeping the little witch hidden from me." Sam felt Helena move behind him, felt the heat from her body begin to warm his skin. Sam stepped to the side, allowing Adrian to see just who his wife had become.
"You have been sentenced to death for the crimes of torture, murder and rape," Helena said to him. Her face took on a look of disgust, when Adrian just looked at her, as if she were playing some kind of joke.
"You really never knew her did you?" Sam asked him, incredulous. How could anyone be around Helena, for any length of time, and not see the steel and strength that ran through this woman? Even if the man hadn't been a psycho, his complete disregard for her amazing qualities alone, meant he had never deserved her. Fate had really messed up with them. He'd give his hind teeth to have a woman like Helena given to him. The man was a fool.
"You won't hurt me Helena, it's not in your nature," Adrian said with a smirk.
"Wrong," Helena said. That was the only warning she gave him. "Back up Sam, you know the routine by now," she said rubbing her hands together. Then dropping them to her side, she shook them. Loosening her shoulders, she brought them up, and out from her body. Rotating her head on her neck a couple of times, as the glow in her hands began to intensify. Her hair begun to waver; as if in a draft, and her feet left the floor.
"Goodbye Adrian. I'd like to say it had been nice knowing you, but well…" And with that Helena opened her palms, and released the fire. It jumped straight to Adrian, as he sat there with his mouth open. He didn't even have enough time to scream. The fireball engulfed, and incinerated his body within seconds. Leaving behind nothing, but ash, where he had once been.
Helena knew she should have felt something. I mean she'd just killed her husband, but she didn't. Although she did feel hysteria building. A bubble of laughter welled up in her stomach, and exploded out of her mouth. She laughed until tears streamed down her face, and then she began to shake. That was when the laughter turned to gut, wrenching sobs.
Sam couldn't take any more. He pulled Helena around and into his arms, holding her against him. One hand stroked down the length of her hair, while the other rubbed her back
soothingly. He gently rocked her, until her tears had subsided.
Helena lifted her own hands around Sam's waist. Twisting them in his sweater, behind his back. Rubbing her cheek on his chest, as she sighed, melting against him. She allowed him to take her weight, and give her comfort. Dropping his chin onto Helena's head, Sam just stayed there with her. Giving her just what she needed in that moment.
Chapter Ten
Sam lost track of time as he held Helena, the sun began to rise as he watched. He saw it break over the treeline. The colours of orange, red, pink and yellow spectacular, as they lit up the early morning sky. He relaxed, exhaling as he bent his head to kiss her hair, but missed. Just as his lips were in reach of hers, she yelped, jumping back from him.
Sam watched her as she shook her hand. He went towards her, concerning marring his features. Then his face cleared and he stopped, dead in his tracks. His eyes began widening as he looked from Helena to his own hand, which had begun to tingle. Closing his eyes, he opened them again as he raised his left palm up, and out towards her. He watched Helena's eyes widen in understanding, as she lifted her own right palm for him to see.
Sam let out the breath, he hadn't realised he'd been holding. He knew Helena's mate mark from Adrian would have vanished, as soon as he'd turned to ash. Now though, it had been replaced, the new half mark now there, was the other half to his own.
They stood staring at each other, only a few feet separating them. Nothing but lush land, the morning sky and silence surrounding them. Sam grinned at the realisation, but Helena just shook her head. She stepped further back from him, and his face dropped. Swallowing, Sam lowered his eyes, frowning. What had he been expecting, that she'd just accept him? Not likely. Not after she'd already been at the hands, and mercy, of an abusive Jaguar?
"No Sam, that's not it. I know you're nothing like him," Helena told him, and his head slowly rose.
