As they worked, J.T. accepted the genuine concern he felt in Katie’s presence. She was a strong woman with an ethical nature, yet she understood real need. No black or white rules applied to the sanctity of human lives. This notion made him smile.
Considering the logistics of what they were about to undertake, J.T. pulled out his phone, adding to his list of things he wanted to get from his place. “If you girls need any help, I’ll be next door. I need to pack.”
Jessie waved him off. “Sure.”
Ignoring the import of such a move, J.T. slipped through the wall to his place. His bedroom held a few essential items he would need. Filling his duffle, he scanned the area for anything he had forgotten. He picked up the broken watch he’d carried since finding the piece in the mansion. Time was eking away. If they didn’t get a move on, he would have to wear the damnable coat again. Detesting the thought of that made him hurry.
“I’m leaving Aubrie in charge of your feedings, Zodiac. Don’t use your charms on her for a bigger bounty. Okay?”
The cat’s only reply was to stand up, knead a new spot in his bed with his paws, and curl up once more.
“I’ll miss you too.” Checking his time, J.T. reentered the pharmacy. “Looks like we need to go if we’re going to get there before the sun rises.” He eyed the two unlikely healers and wondered at their future.
“I’m almost through.” Jessie dumped a handful of rolled bandages in a bag. “I think that’s everything.”
Katie nodded. “For now.” She turned to J.T. “Let me know what else I can bring, all right?”
“Copy that.” J.T. waited a beat before handing Jessie her overnight bag Aubrie had packed her. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes.” Jessie hugged Katie. “I’m sorry for overstepping my boundaries. You and your friends are a pretty special lot in my book.”
Katie took both her hands, giving Jessie a reassuring smile. “We’re happy to have you aboard, Jessie. I know you’ll do the team proud.”
Nerves radiated from Jessie as she smiled politely.
“Time to go.” J.T.’s hand closed over Jessie’s.
“May the gods watch over you, both.” Clutching her neck, Jessie waved. “I won’t be long behind you.”
“Thank you, Katie.” Short on formalities, J.T. reached over, hugging her.
“Oh, well then. Take care of your man, Jessie.” Katie’s eyes filled with tears. Waving them out, she turned away before busying herself with sorting the mess they had made.
“Are you ready then?” J.T. eyed Jessie cautiously. Looking for signs of hesitation, he gave her hand another quick squeeze.
She nodded. The breath she took steadied her. “Let’s do this.”
Without telling her about his situation meant J.T. must travel the same as a human. Through the portal wasn’t his first choice, but telling her he was a vampire concerned him more than an antiquated mode of travel. “Have you come through the portal before?” His gaze held her.
“Yes. I know what to expect.” Her mesmerizing eyes darted to his and back.
Sensing some nerves, he smiled. The urge to protect surfaced in him.
The pasture behind Aubrie’s house held mainly dead grasses along with some small saplings. They slipped silently to the opening, crouching in a clump of overgrown weeds. “Don’t let go of my hand, Jessie. Logan says we can be separated easily.”
“Okay.” Her mouth trembled an instant before firming.
The wind sucked them forward as the worlds melded. Lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled as the vortex swept them through the corridor. A strong electrical charge permeated the air. J.T. felt the charge swoop them up, carrying them toward the Netherworld’s gate. He could see a faint light shining up ahead. The gate lay beyond the marker, he remembered. Everything spilled over in a rush of static infused light. Passing the marker, J.T. used a bit of his vampire power to force them through the gate. A loud clap of thunder heralded their arrival.
The two tumbled onto the soft, green earth. Blinking in the darkness, J.T. wondered if they’d landed in the right place. His eyes searched the burgeoning light for the mansion. “There,” he pointed. “Let’s go.” Without waiting for her permission, J.T. scooped Jessie up in his arms, bolting for the mansion. Getting through the force field was no problem for him, but he would have to reveal his true nature by doing so.
Jessie slid from his grasp. “Here, I know the way.”
Relief flooded him. One more moment averted. Following Jessie’s lead, they skirted the outer walls until coming to the edge of the hill. Below lay the bayou and beyond, the tangle of the forest.
“This way. We can slip through.” She indicated the secret passage leading into the ballroom. “It’s pretty tight.”
“Not to worry. I’ll manage. Lead the way.” With an eye out for trouble, J.T. scanned the area. He didn’t see anyone or anything, so he followed her. The passage widened considerably the further they traveled from the edge of the drop-off. Jessie shoved on a secret panel in the wall of the ballroom. Within seconds they stood inside the great expanse of the sumptuously appointed room. Around the walls, the faces of dukes and duchesses flanked the golden gilded room. “The Sultan must be expecting us,” J.T. murmured. “He left the lights on.” He inclined his head indicating the bright sconces separating the portraits about the great hall.
“They remain on all the time.” Jessie glanced briefly at the display. “This place is like a stage. He brings his souls here to act out his fantasies.” The disdain in her words shimmered brighter than the lighting arrangement.
The notion the Sultan may have used her or those she loved in his sick games heightened J.T. anger. “Not for much longer. His days, they are a numbered.”
She flicked a look his way. Her lips curved slightly. Though she said nothing, a deeper look showed J.T. the pain in her eyes.
Such evil could not be allowed to reside here or their world. J.T. forced the need for violence under control. No going off half-cocked. With so many to save, he couldn’t unleash the fury he kept under stringent control. There would be an occasion for justice.
Upstairs, he went straight to the room he knew as hers. Jessie passed by without a word. “Isn’t this your room?” he asked.
“It was. Too many memories. I prefer this room.” She stood next to the last door on the left. “Katie gave me one of Logan’s charms to use. “There’s still about thirty minutes before the sun comes up. I’ll sleep here for a bit.” She raised her hand, making a circle with her finger. “Take your pick of the others.” Turning, she went in, closing the door behind her.
Standing where she had left him, J.T. pondered what had just happened. Rather than consider a rejection, he told his weary mind, she was merely put off by the chance the Sultan would watch them as they made love and slept. He strode to the door next to hers and went inside.
Bone tired, he unlaced his boots before shrugging out of his clothes. The sheets were cool, and the drapes were thick. Unsure of the angle of the sun, he decided on moving the bed to the interior wall and draping blankets over the two windows. Shuteye was a vampire’s most vulnerable time. Too many he knew had awoken to death at the hands of an enemy. A wooden stake to the heart was a perfect way to die. Then there was death by sunlight. Accidents happened. Pulling out the spell Logan had given him, he cast the contents around the space paying close attention to the windows. By the time he’d finished, the blankets hanging at the windows resembled stone against the rays. Laying down, he closed his eyes. Probably another good idea for sleeping in separate bedrooms. To explain the reason for such protection would work against him, he mused.
The dream was his own. No fabrication of the Sultan’s could conjure the nightmare of that night in Afghanistan. The SEALS had lost their leader. The vision of Luke’s injury or the way in which his life eked away as they hide out in a piteous shell of a building as mortar fire followed by gunfire erupted all around them. Pickup was on the way but when was the question. J.T. re
membered Luke’s last command before he fell unconscious. “Get on that chopper. That’s an order.”
The coppery smell of blood permeated the air. J.T. stood rooted to his lookout spot at the window. Logan had done all he could to save his friend and bud. Luke slipped away as they raced for the chopper. That was the moment J.T. saw the Sultan. He stood at the head of the table where they’d laid Luke. No time to think. In a flash, they were loading onto a chopper. A minute or two passed before the building they’d been hunkered down in exploded.
J.T. jerked awake. His hands trembled. His body shook. Did the Sultan have Luke’s soul? Glancing at his hands, he swallowed. Not what he had intended as sleep therapy. The nightmare haunted him still, and he’d been back over three years. The Sultan had taken Luke’s soul. J.T. would bet his dead life on the idea and believed it as fact. Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, he got up. Glancing at the clock on the bedside table, he cursed low. He had slept longer than he’d planned. J.T. shoved into his jeans, shrugged on a t-shirt and threw on his battered leather jacket. Raking a hand which continued to shake through his mane, J.T. stepped into the hallway. A quick glance down and back garnered nothing. Finding the mansion all too quiet for his liking, J.T. stopped in front of Jessie’s door. “Are you awake?”
No sound came from the room. J.T. knocked. “Jessie?” He eased the door open. The room was dark except for a lone lamp on the nightstand. “Hey, we better get a move on before your camp thinks you’re missing.” Standing inside the room, he turned, slowly surveying the space. Other than the bed, the room was untouched. Jessie had used the bed, but for how long he could only guess. Stepping quickly to the bath, he found it empty. J.T. growled in frustration. She’d left without him. The nearest chair went sailing before crashing into the hollow wall. The fact he understood she knew her way around this place like the back of her hand only proved to elevate his anger. “When I find her, I’m gonna set down some ground rules.” Another chair managed to sacrifice itself in the wake of his anger. “This isn’t a one-man expedition. She’s gonna learn not to ignore me.” The slamming door only emphasized his point, J.T. decided.
Chapter 10
Jessie gingerly pulled a thorn from her finger before examining the path ahead with a keen eye for trouble. She hated leaving J.T. behind, but he couldn’t witness her change or at least she didn’t want him to – not yet. She sensed some residual hesitation from him. Giving up her secrets too soon may jinx the whole rescue. Then there was the mission. What if he wasn’t as sincere as he had led her to believe? What if he’d rather take on the Sultan first and worry about her people later? They were her people! Lives mattered to her. She wasn’t so sure people held the same meaning for J.T. She examined her nails before shoving her hair back into a ponytail. Straightening, she squared her shoulders. The shape-shift would have to be quick. She needed ten minutes to complete the transformation. If she was startled during the shift, there’s no telling what may happen.
Lifting her arms, Jessie began to spin, faster and faster until she became a blur of light and sound. Soon, she stood in the garb of the Haitian. With a trembling hand, she wrapped her Jessie clothes in a tight ball before shoving them in an old sack from the mansion. Her gaze scanned the thick Netherworld undergrowth for trouble. Never leave the enemy watching you. Her legs went to jello as she tried to take a step. “Woah, I gotta eat soon,” she whispered. Moving forward, she hoped the supplies in her backpack would be enough. So many suffered because the Sultan continued to extract as much labor from them as was humanly possible. The encampment, infested with mosquitoes and disease, reminded her of the poverty-stricken Middle East. Her mind shifted to thoughts of J.T.
***
J.T. knew where to find her. The walk had burned off most of his anger. Still, she had some training in store.
When the camp came into view, J.T. slowed, taking it all in. The sun was already high in the sky. Birds chirped in cheerful song as the smoke from a noon fire infused the heavy air. Sultry and sticky, the Louisiana heat zapped a man’s energy quickly. Even an undead man. One covered in a coat and protective gloves resided in a steamy version of hell. J.T. spotted the one named Rocco immediately.
The grip J.T. used on Rocco’s arm wasn’t friendly.
“What the…” Rocco’s amber eyes darted nervously in his big head.
“How’s about you and me going for a little walk?” J.T. ground out through clenched teeth. He steered the Haitian in the direction of the nearby trees. Others worked in the fields, so few were around to witness their little exchange. “Seems to me, Jessie girl, your need for assistance outweighs your need for communication.” He bared his teeth as he wheeled the one called Rocco around to face him. “I’m talking to Jessie now, so listen.” He wagged his finger in Rocco’s face. “Don’t ever go off half-cocked like that again. Do you understand me?”
Rocco took a retreating step. His burly chest heaved as he regained his composure. “I don’t need you coming in here and throwing your weight around, J.T. The camp is under my control. You’re an outsider. Remember that.”
The slender finger Rocco shoved in his face angered J.T. and yes, baffled him at the same time. On a scale of one to ten, ten being the weirdest, where did arguing with this man who was actually Jessie rank? Hell, he had slept with her only the day before. Throwing up his hands he stalked off. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
“Keep your voice down. Remember what I said and help me out here, J.T.” Rocco glanced back before walking closer. He laid a hand on J.T.’s chest. “You of all people should understand what it’s like to go undercover. How about zipping it for now? Huh?”
“All right. All right. But I’m warning you. Go off half-cocked again, and there’ll be hell to pay.” Snarling at the heat, he scanned the meager accommodations. “I’ve gotta get out of this god-forsaken sun. Which one is your hut?”
Rocco threw up a finger. “Over there.”
J.T. glanced in the direction Rocco indicated to see a small house covered in bamboo and palm branches. “Nice,” he whispered. “I’ve got some studying to do. See you later.” Striding with purpose toward the shelter, he wondered how his life had gotten so complicated. Oh yeah, he mused nastily. He was vampire.
***
Dark settled over the camp as men came in from the fields. Their voices mixed with the crickets of the late afternoon. Laughter floated on the breeze while the smells of food preparation wafted from the surrounding huts.
Rocco opened the flap of his hut. J.T. relaxed on Rocco’s pallet. “You still here?” He sauntered in with casual control over his temper. “Looks to me like you’d be out trying to locate the Sultan’s lair or at the very least one of the other camps.” His chin lifted as he examined his house guest.
“I don’t expect you to understand why I can’t go wandering around in the daylight. Since I’m a stranger, I’d look pretty suspect out there during the day.” He stood, stretched his legs and arched his back, giving his cramped muscles some relief.
Rocco’s expression was one of irritated bemusement.
“I plan to use the darkness to my advantage. Now whether you agree with that plan or not, I really don’t care. Just stay out of my way.”
Rocco bared his teeth for a moment. Turning, he stripped off his leather vest before shrugging into a linen shirt hanging on a peg near a small wash basin in the corner of the one-room hut. “You’ll need to eat before leaving. The women have prepared something. I’ll get it.” Without waiting, he ducked through the flap once more and was gone.
J.T. frowned at the doorway. The whole thing was wrong. His sense of disbelief in his reaction stirred a fighting madness inside him. He couldn’t touch the man nor react as he wanted to for a couple of reasons. One being their survival depended on the deception. Two, he couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of Rocco and Jessie being the same person. Shifters – Christ on a crutch but it was F’n weird. Rubbing the spot next to his heart that hurt, J.T. growled low into the
silence. “Best not to be here when he gets back.”
As he opened the flap, he almost ran into Thomas, the overseer. “Woah, I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to run over you.”
“No, that’s okay.” Thomas sideways grin warmed his dark features. “You just get back?”
J.T. didn’t want to add to his list of lies. The baggage he carried because of his undead nature was enough. Besides, he needed to confide in someone. After all, the man had shared information about the Sultan and Rocco. He figured he could trust Thomas. “Not exactly. I slipped back in during the day. Worked on some recon plans and figured I’d head out here in a little bit.”
“What about me going with you?”
J.T. stilled. Thomas did know more about the area than him. He could use all the help he could get, he supposed. “You up for a long night? After work, I mean?”
Thomas shrugged. “I don’t need much sleep. Besides, I can show you what I’ve found so far.”
“Good.” He slapped Thomas on the shoulder. “Glad for the help. Get your gear, and we’ll head out.”
Thomas raced back into the group of huts before darting into one. Soon, he appeared at Rocco’s once more. “You have a means to see in the dark?”
J.T. nodded wondering how much he should share. “I have pretty keen eyesight, even in the dark. What about you?”
“I can see. The moon will be up soon. It’s practically full tonight. That fact should help. Ready?”
Rocco walked up. “Here’s your food. Where are you going?”
“I’m not hungry. Give it to Thomas.”
Thomas glanced from J.T. to his leader and back again. “I’m going to help J.T. look for the other camps,” he announced.
Rocco cut amber eyes at J.T. “You’re going to look for camps. How long will you be gone?”
“As long as it takes. Why?”
Shrugging, Rocco shoved his hands into his pockets.
J.T. didn’t have time to get caught up in a pissing match.
“Just thought if something happened, we’d know when to start worrying, that’s all.” Rocco’s cool gaze never left J.T.’s.
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