Blaze of Secrets (Asylums for Magical Threats) (11 page)

“Marco, confirm it. Darius, get that other woman secured.”

Jaxton never took his eyes from Kiarra’s face as Darius moved into the room and hefted up the

unconscious woman. Kiarra’s expression mirrored one he’d seen during their struggle inside her AMT cell

—one of vulnerability and despair. Her sister’s sudden appearance had probably triggered memories best

forgotten. He needed to get Kiarra alone so he could coax her back.

Once the shadow-shifter was secured and out of the room, Jaxton spoke again. “The man on the bed

behind you is in rough shape. Let Kiarra go and I promise you we’ll talk downstairs.” In a show of good

faith, he lowered his gun.

Cam lowered her gun too, but kept a firm grip on Kiarra’s arm. “How do I know it’s not a trick? You

could have more people waiting downstairs to attack me.”

“If your recent display of speed is any indication, you could outrun or outmaneuver any person here

before they had a chance to draw a gun or use elemental magic.”

Cam looked at him a moment before slightly turning her head to Kiarra, but only far enough to where

Cam could keep an eye on him at the same time. “Will your man keep his word?”

Kiarra blinked. “He’s not—”

Cam interrupted her. “Just tell me, will he keep his word?”

Kiarra looked him in the eye and asked, “Jaxton, will you?”

He didn’t hesitate. “I swear on my brother’s life.”

Kiarra looked back to her sister. “Yes, I think he will.”

Cam waved a hand toward Jaxton’s gun arm. “First, slide your gun over to me.” He removed the clip

and slid the gun across the floor. Cam released Kiarra and said, “Go to him, if that’s what you want.”

Kiarra looked like she wanted to say something to her sister, but she eventually took one step, and then another in Jaxton’s direction. When she was close enough, he tucked her close against his side and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Kiarra relaxed against him.

With Kiarra’s now familiar warmth against his side, Jaxton’s tension began to fade, but he kept his head in the game and never took his eyes off of Cam.

He gestured for Cam to precede them. “Lead on, my lady.”

Cam scowled at the term, but exited the room, her boots pounding down the stairs. He squeezed

Kiarra’s shoulders and asked, “How’re you holding up, pet?”

After all this time, Cam was alive. Kiarra had no idea why Cam would come here, now, scant days after

her rescue from the AMT. If Cam had truly cared about her, why hadn’t she tried to find her before now?

But her mind could barely focus on anything else. Calming Garrett down had distracted her for a short

while, but then Cam had been there, holding her by the shoulders and demanding to talk with her.

She was afraid of what she’d hear.

After years of trying to forget her old life, Cam had no right to demand anything of her. Kiarra knew

her family had been happier after sending her to the AMT, but she wasn’t ready to hear about it. She would probably never be ready to hear it.

No one wanted to hear they were unwanted.

But Cam wasn’t listening to her and was trying to force unpleasant memories on Kiarra before she was

ready.

Kiarra’s throat started to close up, sweat gathered on her palms, and a sense of helplessness started to take hold. If the past was anything to go on, she was about to have a panic attack.

No, no, NO.
She wouldn’t let the past ruin her present. She could beat this.

It took a couple of deep breaths before she could focus on what Cam and Jaxton were saying to each

other. Somehow she replied on automatic, until Cam told her to go to Jaxton, if that was what she wanted.

And she did. Jaxton was the only one who had helped her to relax and briefly forget about the AMT. He

might be annoying, but he was training her for a purpose, a place with DEFEND.

Even if she didn’t yet know his reasoning, it had been Jaxton, and not Cam, who had rescued her from

the AMT.

She went to him. When she reached his side, he pulled her close and Kiarra leaned on him for support.

His touch was steadying and warm, and as his scent surrounded her, her sense of helplessness started to

fade.

After some more words she didn’t hear, Cam marched out the door and Jaxton squeezed her shoulder.

His voice rumbled in her ear. “How’re you holding up, pet?”

The familiarity of his lilting voice, combined with the stupid endearment, helped snap Kiarra out of the fading attack. “I’m not your pet.”

He tilted her chin up, forcing her to look at him, and saw his smile. “If you can snap, you must not be

doing too poorly.”

He’d used the term on purpose. “Talking to Cam tonight is a bad idea.”

“You don’t have much of a choice, pet.”

She growled at the endearment, but didn’t let him distract her. “Cam was ten years old the last time I

saw her. A lot has happened since then.” She hugged her ribcage. “And I’m honest enough with myself to

know that I’m just not ready to confront her.”

“But aren’t you just the least bit curious about why she’s here? I reckon she didn’t have super-fast

reflexes as a child, for one.” He tapped her shoulder. “She might not be here for the reason you think.”

She turned to get a better look at him. “Do you know something I don’t?”

Jaxton shook his head. “I’ve never seen the woman in my life. I would think that pointing a gun at her

would’ve made that obvious.”

It was true that she didn’t know the real reason Cam was here. For so many years Kiarra had expected

the worst of people, but maybe things were changing. She didn’t know Cam as an adult, but as a child, Cam would’ve never tried to cause her deliberate harm. Irritate and trick, yes, but not harm.

Kiarra took a deep breath and moved toward the stairs, but Jaxton kept a firm grip on her shoulder. She

looked up at him and said, “Let go of me, Jaxton.”

“No.”

“I—”

Jaxton shook his head. “At this point, we don’t know anything about her and I won’t risk it. I said I’d

protect you, and I meant it.”

The look in his eye and the set of his chin told Kiarra nothing would change his mind.
So this is what
it’s like to have someone care about your well-being.

She tensed. Jaxton had said nothing about caring for her; she was a duty, an obligation. It was

delusional to think otherwise. He was simply following Neena’s orders.

Or curious about Cam’s abilities.

Whatever the cause for his apparent concern, she wouldn’t fight his orders right now. Cam was not the

ten-year-old girl she remembered. Something had hardened her, made her tough, and it wouldn’t hurt to

have someone like Jaxton at Kiarra’s side.

Of course she wasn’t about to let him know that. “Fine, protect me, whatever. But let’s go before I start getting gray hairs.”

Jaxton gave a barely audible snort. “As you wish, pet.”

By the time Jaxton and Kiarra reached the living room, Marco was already there. He stood on the

opposite side of the room from Cam, silent with a flush on his cheeks. Jaxton wondered what had

happened between the two, especially since Marco was never quiet around women. Given the chance, he

could charm the knickers off of the Queen.

When Marco noticed them, he put on his customary smile, probably hoping to fool Jaxton. “Aislinn

confirmed Camilla’s story. Neena sent her here to patrol the area, along with two others.”

Jaxton looked to Cam. “Will the other two be joining us?”

Cam narrowed her eyes at Marco before looking at Jaxton. “That depends. We need to talk, and

preferably without your horny sidekick.”

Marco’s face turned even redder and Jaxton cleared his throat to avoid laughing. “Marco, do a scan of

the nearby perimeter and see if you can find anybody else hiding nearby. Make sure to update Darius and

Taka on the situation.”

Marco said, “Right, boss,” before muttering something in Spanish and exiting the room.

Cam’s frown vanished and she crossed her arms over her chest before raising an eyebrow, the cue for

him to start talking. But he ignored her, wanting to take care of Kiarra first.

He guided her to the couch, sat down next to her, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He told

himself he was only keeping her close in case he needed to push her out of the way of danger, not because it felt right. Kiarra leaned into his touch as if it were the only thing keeping her grounded, and when she placed a hand on his chest, Jaxton felt a flare of heat beneath her palm, similar to the heat he’d felt when he’d touched her bare skin at the foot of the stairs.

Focus, Jax.
He squeezed Kiarra’s shoulders and eyed the woman responsible for her unease.

Cam’s gaze flitted to his arm around Kiarra’s shoulders and back to Kiarra’s face. The two women

stared at each other, but said nothing. Jaxton decided he would have to be the mediator.

“How did you get past our security?”

Cam switched her gaze to Jaxton. “That’s not what I’m here to talk about. I wanted to warn you that a

lot of people connected to the AMT, both official enforcers and hired hands, are heading this way. The

shadow-shifter was just the first of many coming to try and haul Kiarra back to the AMT.”

Shit.
They’d been careful, but not careful enough. A thousand ideas started to form in his head of how to handle the situation, but before he could ask Cam any more questions, Kiarra’s brows drew together and she said, “Why are so many coming after me? Is that normal for an AMT escapee?”

“No,” Jaxton said, “it’s not. They probably want you because of what you told me while training.”

Kiarra had known the AMT would come after her, but she had never expected
Feiru
with strange

abilities to be part of the retrieval team. It was almost as if the
Feiru
stories she’d heard as a child were coming to life.

She looked at her sister, but Cam’s face was blank. It seemed strange that Cam wouldn’t ask for the

details behind Jaxton’s cryptic response. As a child, Cam had always asked a zillion questions; the woman in front of her was a stranger.

Questions raced through Kiarra’s brain, but she lacked the nerve to ask them. Instead, she would focus

on being practical. “How many people were sent after me and how much time do we have?”

“At least a dozen. And my latest intel suggests that the shifter was just a scout and that the rest of the retrieval team will be here late tomorrow night.” Cam looked at Jaxton and then back at Kiarra. “As much as I hate to admit it, I’m not in charge here—but I’d say we need to move quickly, in shifts. A single exodus will draw too much attention.”

Kiarra looked to Jaxton, waiting to see if he would agree with Cam. He paused a moment before saying,

“Where are Kiarra’s parents?”

Kiarra froze. Jaxton gave her a squeeze, but never took his eyes off of Cam. Part of her was grateful

he’d asked what she’d been afraid to voice, but another part of her was afraid of the answer.

Cam’s face softened a second before returning to her hard expression. “They died fourteen years ago.”

Kiarra’s heart skipped a beat. She’d dreamt of her parents rescuing her over the years, and now she at

least had an excuse for why they had never come; whether the excuse was valid or not remained to be seen.

Jaxton rubbed up and down her arm, reminding her of where she was and how far she’d come in only a

few days. The warmth of Jaxton’s body, as well as the now familiar scent of male and soap, reminded her

that if she could stand up to him, she could certainly ask her long-lost sister a question. “How did they die?”

Cam shook her head. “You’re not ready for the answer. But just know that they fought to get you back

until the day they died.”

Could she be telling the truth?
Kiarra was afraid to hope.

Cam leaned forward and said, “I don’t know what they told you inside the AMT, but Kiarra, our parents

never stopped loving you.”

Between the sad tone of Cam’s voice and the flash of sadness in her eyes, Kiarra decided to believe her.

She’d thought the worst about her family, yet she might’ve been wrong.

Yes, her parents had given her up, but if Cam was telling the truth, the possibility that they’d realized their mistake and fought to get her back brought tears to her eyes. Tears she didn’t want anyone else to see.

Kiarra slipped out from under Jaxton’s arm and flew to the doorway. She managed to race down the

hall and up the stairs to her room without anyone stopping her. After reaching the safety of her room, she closed the door and let her tears fall.

After all these years, her parents might have wanted her after all.

Chapter Twelve

Jaxton’s first impulse was to follow Kiarra and see how she was doing, but he couldn’t leave Cam alone

without a guard. Marco might’ve confirmed Cam’s story with Neena, but Jaxton hadn’t. He wanted to know

why Neena would send a team of people to his house, with AMT enforcers on the hunt, and not tell him.

He eyed Cam. At the very least, he needed to make sure Kiarra’s sister would still be here when she was

ready to talk with her.

Yet instead of making sure Cam would stick around, he said, “Kiarra’s only been out of the AMT for a

few days. I’m not sure she was ready for that.”

Cam raised an eyebrow. “You’re the one that brought it up.”

“I’m her trainer, and as such, any remarks that would upset her should go through me.”

“Do all trainers snuggle with their trainees in front of company?”

Cam’s actions were borderline insubordination. “This is my operation. Neena sent you here and now

you’re under my command. I want to make sure we’re clear on that.”

Cam shrugged a shoulder. “It’s not like you’re going to send me away. We both know Kiarra would