Oath Sworn

by Kristen Banet

  “But you are here looking for a fight.”

  I stayed silent this time, letting her follow her own train of thought. I wouldn’t answer her. It was good that they had sent someone to me, which meant I had done what I intended, but I wasn’t going to tell her too much, not anything that she really didn’t need to know.

  Like how I’m planning on killing any wolf between me and Carey. Or that Carey is with the wrong wolves. Heath is the first person I’m saying it to. He’s probably already figured it out. I honestly hope he has.

  “Let’s finish eating, then get out of here. I really need this meal.” I held up my sandwich, getting a nod in response. I ate faster than her, finishing the first sandwich and bagging the other. I could eat it in a moment. At least something was in my stomach again that wasn’t junk food or coffee, which had been all I had for nearly the last fourty-eight hours.

  I held the door open for her and followed her as she pointed to an SUV. “That’s our ride. There’re two werewolves in the car. My dad is driving and I’ll be sitting up front. You’ll be sitting in the back with the other.”

  “Okay.” I followed her there, keeping behind her instinctually. I knew the reason, but it made me uncomfortable to acknowledge. If they tried to shoot me, I could grab her as a hostage. It left a bitter taste on my tongue to think I was even considering it. I would never hurt an innocent human girl, but I would hold her until the wolves listened if I had to. Of course, they would probably shoot me for just considering it, so I stepped out, letting the idea go and putting it to rest. I’m not a hostage-taker, damn it. I won’t sink that low.

  I waited for her to load in, then went to the back door, keeping my eyes down respectfully. I couldn’t pose a threat to them now, not if they were taking me to the wolf I needed to see.

  “You were prettier in the pictures, Jacky. Less…battered.” His voice was like a smooth brandy, somewhat chilled, and very secure, brimming with an arrogant element of confidence. I looked up to see the wolf next to me and found myself looking into the grey-blue eyes I already knew well.

  Heath Everson was right next to me, and he didn’t look pleased to see me.

  “Where’s my daughter?” he demanded.

  14

  Chapter Fourteen

  I sat stunned for a moment. There were a couple of problems that kept me from getting my brain to function properly.

  One, I wasn’t used to the power that filled the air around me. This wolf was powerful. It was in his scent. It was in his posture, leaning back half against the seat and half on the far door, with one arm stretched out over the back, which he could use to grab the back of my neck if I wasn’t careful. He’d positioned himself carefully, with his long legs stretched out into my leg space, an obvious play that I had no personal space he cared to respect.

  Two, he was disarmingly good-looking. He hadn’t seemed like that in the pictures I had seen of him, quietly sitting in the back. His smiles in those had been soft. The one I was confronted with was sharp. He wasn’t a rugged man like most werewolves I’d seen. He was classically beautiful, with a sharpness that made me uncomfortable. The only thing about him that wasn’t styled to perfection was his hair, which looked like he’d run his hand through it too many times. It fell over his face, framing his dastardly grey-blue eyes. And that was all before I got to his broad shoulders, encased in a crisp black suit. He didn’t look like a man who was fighting for his life. Not in the slightest.

  Three…well, it was time for me to tell him that his daughter was taken from me, and I was pretty certain he would try to kill me after that.

  “Start talking, Jacky.” He didn’t remove his eyes from me as the SUV got moving.

  “Twenty-four hours or so ago, a hunting party showed up at the location I was hiding her at. We’d already been chased out of my territory by a small group that had silver on them. The next one was twice the size and put four silver bullets in me, leaving me for dead, and taking her with them.” I hoped he understood that I had done everything I could have thought of.

  His eyes darkened with rage and for once, I was genuinely scared of a werewolf. Not because he was stronger than me. Not because he was faster.

  He was a father who had a little girl, and now that little girl was in danger. Very real danger. Makes him the most dangerous monster in the city, to be honest.

  “And you’re here,” he whispered.

  “I made a choice to come and save her. I wasn’t going to give up and fail my Duty, no matter what Laws told me I probably should.” Let that be enough. Please.

  “What about the silver wounds?” he asked, looking over me with disdain now. “You don’t look very injured.”

  I didn’t have a way to say anything without whining, so I pulled my shirt up enough that he could see my gut, with the scabbed hole from one of silver bullets. The bruising around it was only going to get worse before it got better. I lifted higher to show him more.

  “I have another hole in my thigh. There were some bystanders who kindly took the bullets out and did CPR on me.”

  Someone coughed in the front. I glanced quickly, not wanting to take my eyes off the dangerous wolf next to me for too long. Stacy was staring into the back, her eyes wide. Her father was looking over at her.

  “Stacy, stop staring.”

  “Dad, they shot her!” she cried out. “Heath, you have to put a stop to this! Why is this about Carey? What happened?”

  “Stacy, stay out of it,” her father snapped. “Now.”

  She looked back to the front and I knew the teenage attitude when I saw it. I was a nineteen-year-old girl once and pulled the exact same move more times than I’m certain was necessary. Her arms crossed and she thumped back into her seat, creating the same effect as slamming a door.

  “CPR? You died?” Heath lifted his chin and looked down his nose now, but I could see a tiny amount of lightening of his eyes. That boded well for me.

  “For two minutes, they said.” I wasn’t going to tell him about Brin and his family. It wasn’t the wolf’s business. Brin had never exposed what he was to Carey, therefore it wasn’t much of consequence. “There had to have been thirteen wolves in that hunting party. I’m not an old or experienced werecat. I did what I could.” I felt shitty for it since it hadn’t been enough, but it had been my best.

  “I know,” he said softly. “So, you think my daughter is now somewhere in Dallas.”

  “The first group…They said they wanted her to flush you out. I expect you’ll be getting some hint or message soon to meet or something. Trade her safety for your defeat. Not very honorable, but from my understanding, nothing about this has been.” I shrugged. I didn’t really want to talk wolf politics with wolves. I was suddenly worried about being out of my territory, the anxiety making my chest tighten. I was in an SUV, an enclosed space, with two wolves, one of them very angry at me—and he had the power to make destroy my life. Even kill me. He could invade my territory, even if I did make it back there. “I’m sorry, Alpha Everson.”

  “It’s not your fault,” he whispered. “I knew you would fight hard if it was needed. I didn’t think they would attack you so blatantly.”

  “How…” I stopped and considered a different approach. I couldn’t just question this guy. I needed to know he would be receptive. Hasan was the same way in that regard. “May I ask you a few questions?”

  “I’m here, aren’t I?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “How did you even know about me?”

  “Oh.” He snorted, a small smile finally overcoming the angry stone expression. “I thought you had something difficult to ask. It’s simple, really. Someone came to me, wondering why a werewolf opened a bar in Jacksonville. It must have been right after you showed up. I got curious and drove out, but stopped when I realized that I was about to cross the border of your territory. Started digging into you after that, but I didn’t want to out you to your humans, so I told them that you were private and that if anything happened, they could let me k
now and I would deal with it.”

  “Fucking hell. Do you know a guy named Joey?” I asked, eyeballing him hard now.

  “I do,” he murmured, the small smile turning into a predatory grin.

  “What all do you know about me?” I demanded, crossing my arms. I even tapped a foot as I waited for an answer. “I think I deserve to know, because I was living a very quiet and happy life before you decided I should be a part of your daughter’s protection detail.”

  “Everything I could find. It’s decent intel. I know your full name is Jacqueline Leon, not Jacky. I know you have a lawyer in New York and an accountant up there. Through the accountant, I found a few of your aliases. I like to know who and what is living in my state, and since you were fairly close, I figured you could come in handy. You have, even if it wasn’t exactly the outcome I wanted.”

  “Really? Your daughter was taken from me—”

  “You died for her, which means a lot to me,” he snapped. “I’m angry she was taken, but I’m not foolish enough to think it was your fault. It’s the wolves who took her and they’re going to pay for that.”

  “Even though you failed, you bought us some damn valuable time,” the wolf driving said casually. Stacy stayed quiet, which was probably for the best. A nineteen year old didn’t need to wade into this serious of a conversation.

  “Exactly. You were able to keep my daughter out of the line of fire, which meant I could focus on finding out who is and isn’t loyal to me here in Dallas without worrying about her as much. Harrison told me she made it to you, since you had called him. Did you tell him that the wolves grabbed her back?”

  I nodded. “Last night.”

  “He hasn’t contacted me yet…” Heath shook his head, growling. “Damn. He probably doesn’t want me to make this a bigger bloodbath than it already is. Still, stupid of him to keep that kind of a secret from me.”

  “Yeah.” I didn’t say what I was agreeing with, opting for letting everyone believe what they wanted to believe. “So, where are you taking me?”

  “Your hotel. I looked it up when I realized you were here,” the Alpha answered. “You’re going to get your things and come with us. Don’t make it hard, please.”

  “No, of course not,” I said, my throat tight and my mouth dry. “And where are we going?”

  “You’re terrified,” he said, shaking his head. “There’s no reason for you to be.”

  “What do you know about werecats? I’m out of my territory. I’m in the same city as a werewolf war that should have nothing to do with me. I was attacked twice and a little human girl, your daughter, was taken from my protection, which was never a place I ever thought to have a girl. In my protection, that is.” I leaned over for a moment. “Of course I’m terrified. If I really believed you weren’t going to kill me for losing her, then that’s just one problem off the list of them. I’m breaking the Law by even fucking being here, and that’s a big fucking problem, too. A bigger one than what you’re dealing with.”

  He watched me as I leaned back into my spot, away from him. Far from him.

  “You’re right. You do have a lot of reasons to be worried.” He inclined his head. “So…what side do you choose?”

  “While I was protecting Carey, I was trying to remain impartial,” I explained. “While I tried not to be totally fatalistic to her, I was ready for an outcome in which she would go to a legal guardian and not a parent or other family.” I swallowed. “Now, even though they’ve taken her and tried to kill me, I am still trying to remain impartial. I’m not going to help you win this. I’m going to get your daughter back and keep her safe from all harm. That means once I have her again, I’m leaving with her until this settles.” I was lying to his face, but politically, it was the only thing I could have possibly said. I fully wanted him to win. I wanted to rip his opponents to pieces and feed on their corpses. I wanted to roll around their dead bodies like a fucking rabid animal. It wasn’t a feeling I was accustomed with, but I was growing more used to everything it flared in my chest.

  But I had to watch my own back as best as I could.

  He didn’t call out my lie. “And you recognize that working with me is probably the fastest way to finding her.”

  “Sort of. I caught one of the other wolves last night. I didn’t hold him, but I had him deliver a message to the wolf he reported to. They failed to kill me and I was here to pick a fight for her again.”

  “Why are you doing this?” He propped his elbow on the window and door, leaning on it. He was now watching me with an intensity that made me want to squirm.

  “You’re the third person I’ve explained this to, but the others were werecats…” I huffed. “It could be considered a failure of my Duty that I let Carey get taken from me, but I like to think that’s only the case if I give up. I’m not giving up. There’s been a lot of Law-breaking around here. They started it. I’m going to continue to do what I swore I would do, even though the Laws will hang me for it.” I wanted to snarl about how they took something that belonged to me, but I wasn’t foolish enough to say that in front of her father. I wasn’t her mother or her sister, or even a friend. I was a werecat who promised to try and be all of those things and a body shield, and it would end when I gave her back to this man. It was still a bone I was choking on, but I would abide by it.

  “That’s…honorable of you,” he said softly, nodding. “Very honorable, to put your Duty over your self-preservation.”

  “If I was worried about self-preservation, I would have given her up to the first hunting party. Not get shot five times in less than a week,” I snapped, baring my teeth. “Older and wiser werecats have told me this is foolish. I made it clear to them…that I didn’t think so and there’s no other option in my mind.”

  “I’m glad I sent her to you, then.” He extended a hand. “I haven’t properly introduced myself. I’m Heath Everson.”

  “Jacky Leon. I prefer Jacky, by the way. Don’t call me Jacqueline.”

  “Why not? It’s a pretty name,” he countered.

  “Fine. Call me whatever you want.” I pulled my hand back, shaking my head.

  “I will. I tend to do whatever I want without needing someone’s permission.” He smirked. “So, do you know anything else about what’s happening here in Dallas?”

  “Um…Council Alpha Harrison of Atlanta gave me some small details,” I answered. “Things he thought could help me protect Carey and understand the situation and how dangerous it is. You really have wolves out there fighting over loyalty?”

  “It was my idea, actually. Good way to weed out the weak traitors. My top twenty or so wolves are mostly on my side. We have a couple unaccounted for, but I’m certain they’re lying low, keeping their heads down until they think it’s safe to reach out. Even if they’re traitors, I overpower them.”

  “How did this start?” I went back to crossing my arms, not wanting to think about how warm and calloused his hand had been. Reminded me of my late fiancé.

  “I was working late. Sniper took a shot and hit me in the back, which is why we’ve been quiet, hiding. So I can heal and deal with the challenger properly, while figuring out who belongs to who. Shamus here found me and took me underground and into hiding while also scrambling to find out about my family. My sons protected Carey long enough for her to get out, and somehow she made it to you. She’s a smart kid…” He trailed off, showing just a peek at the worried father I knew was underneath.

  “She is,” I agreed. “I enjoyed spending time with her. She’s a sweetheart with a big heart.”

  “Yes, she is.” He nodded. “Well, I think my sons were taken, but we haven’t had word. That alone has given me a little hope about this. No word means they might not have been grabbed and they’re also hiding out. They’re adults, and intelligent. I trust their judgement in staying safe and helping me from afar, if that’s what they’re doing.”

  “Oh! Then I do have some news for you.” Finally, something good I had to offer for him. “Car
ey, at one point and against my wishes, checked her cellphone. I say against my wishes because of GPS tracking, but—”

  “Carey’s phone couldn’t be tracked. I swear to you on that.” He waved that off. “Now, what were you—”

  “Then how the hell did the wolves find us outside of my territory?”

  He sighed. “They could have at least one person who knew about you, or more likely, stole my file on you from my office. Either way, I think they used the information I had on you. For that, I am sorry.”

  “That makes a lot of sense, considering what you knew. Okay, so back to the important thing. Carey got a text from Richard that said he and Landon were okay.”

  I heard him stop breathing, even if I couldn’t see any change in his posture or outward appearance.

  “Thank God,” he exhaled. “Richard and Landon are my…” He rubbed his face. “Nothing. Between those two and Carey, I’m glad to hear that. That’s the best news I’ve had in days.”

  “Good,” I murmured, lowering my eyes.

  “We’re here,” Shamus said softly.

  Heath straightened and fixed himself. I didn’t think he looked rumpled at all, but apparently he did. “Stacy, go in with Ms. Leon and help her retrieve her things. Jacky, I recommend staying checked in with the hotel and leaving your vehicle here. It’ll distract the wolves until they get access to security and see Stacy with you.”

  “How are you keeping Stacy safe?” I asked, flicking my eyes to the girl. “She shouldn’t…”

  “She’s opted for the Change. She’s to be treated like a wolf until that time,” Heath answered.

  I nodded respectfully. Fine, then. Stacy hadn’t told me that, but then, no human wanted to admit to a stranger that they were willing to give up their humanity.

  She and I jumped out and walked inside together. I ignored the front counter for the most part, just making sure it wasn’t the woman from the night before, and it wasn’t. Stacy was silent beside me until we reached my room. I was aching by the time we reached it. Between the walking I’d done all morning, the running the night before, and, you know, being shot until I died, every part of my body fucking hurt.