Jaguar's Judgment (2 page)

“You would kill your parents?”

She shrugged and sat back on the futon, picking up the tablet as she eased back. “To protect my son, yes. Even if I have to sacrifice myself in the process.”

Dread hit him in the gut like lead. She was planning a suicide mission. He was sure of it. The man and cat growled at the thought. Without replying to her, he left the building and headed toward the Pack circle to find Keegan.

Jared couldn’t allow her to go on with whatever crazy plot she was cooking up. He wouldn’t watch their son grieve over his mother.

****

Jared spied Keegan with his mate, Addyson, at the edge of the circle. The ritual was complete, and several packmates had returned to their homes. The ones left, hung out to congratulate and welcome Ana. Stopping beside the Elder, Jared waited.

Addyson gave him a warm smile and reached out, but dropped her hand before she made contact. She frowned and took Keegan’s hand, drawing the other male’s attention to Jared. With a nod, Keegan turned and led them to his house a few yards south of the circle.

Jared followed, not surprised the Elder knew what Jared wanted to speak with him about. He was willing to bet that Blaine, and possibly Luna, would show up at the house soon. “Should I wait for the Alphas?”

One side of Keegan’s lips twitched. “No. Sable is Council business.”

Jared clenched his jaw before speaking. “Her parents aren’t, and you know she’s right about them coming for her.”

“Yes, but Savannah will come at Ashwood whether Sable is here or not.”

A sense of knowing flowed from Keegan. Jared studied the Elder. “You know what Sable is planning?”

“She has offered to be bait for her parents.”

“And?”

“The Council is considering her offer.”

Jared began to pace and tried to calm his jaguar before he said or did something that he would regret. Keegan was his Alpha and his friend, so Jared respected the male’s judgment. It didn’t mean he had to like it. “How long will you be considering it?”

Keegan let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his black hair. “Kieran and I don’t think she should sacrifice herself. She has a son who needs her. But she is also on trial.”

Addyson broke her silence. “What my mate is not telling you, is if she survives this crazy plan of hers, she will be pardoned.” She darted out of Keegan’s reach when he moved toward her. “He has a right to know, Keegan. She is his mate and the mother of his son.”

Jared glanced from Keegan to Addyson, disbelief filling him. “When did she make that deal?”

A growl escaped Keegan. “It’s not done yet, and it was her idea to go after them.”

“But you are going to use her.”

Just as Keegan opened his mouth, Blaine barged in through the back door. “The sentries at the gatehouse got a message from Savannah. She wants her daughter released or she’ll come and get her.”

Sable leaned against a tree trunk while Jared glared at her, and the Alphas and Elders talked about whether or not they should hand her over to her evil mother. Whatever. “Do what you wish with me. All I ask is that my son be protected.”

Jared took a step toward her, but Blaine’s words stopped him. “You could still back out of your deal.”

No, she couldn’t. As much as she wanted to take Nigel and run, she couldn’t do it. Besides, that was no life for her son. He needed structure and security. Everything a healthy Pack like Ashwood could give him. She knew deep down that Jared would provide everything their son needed. At least she hoped he would.

“I’m not backing out. I’m the only one who can get close enough to both of them.” Sable speared a glance to Jared before focusing back on Blaine. “I’ll pledge a blood oath to not betray Ashwood Falls.”

A low growl sounded from her left, but she didn’t dare look at Jared. The slight connection left over from the bond Jared had broken told her the male didn’t like her choice. “I’m going with you.”

“No, you’re not.” She faced him fully and crossed her arms. “Nigel needs at least one of his parents.”

Jared’s upper lip curled as he stalked closer to her, his jaguar flashing in his eyes. “He needs his mother. That’s why I’m going.”

She snorted. “And you are going to keep me safe from my parents? I don’t need you getting in the way or babysitting me.”

“I promised our son I’d bring you back, alive. That is what I’m going to do.”

His words cut deeper than she’d ever admit. He was upholding a promise to Nigel. A small part of her wanted his reason to be because he cared about her. Giving Jared her back, she focused her attention on Luna and Blaine. There was no way she’d allow Jared to see her true feelings. That he was the reason why she’d finally looked into her father’s motives and opened her mind to the possibility that Felix was wrong about Ashwood and the other Packs.

Once the truth was uncovered, she had to stop her father and somehow undo what she’d done, or at least make some kind of amends for her crimes. If killing him were part of it, she’d do it. Felix was no longer the male he once was. Greed and insanity from being separated from his mate had consumed him, blinded him, and blackened his heart.

“Alphas, I will pledge an oath,” she offered again.

Blaine threaded his fingers through his hair, but Luna glanced at Jared over Sable’s shoulder. “I agree with Sable. Both of you don’t need to risk your lives. I can send a couple of sentries with her.”

“No other male will go near her.”

Sable stilled at Jared’s growled out admission. Her heart pounded, but she didn’t dare look at him. Surely he didn’t mean it the way it sounded.

In front of her, Luna narrowed her eyes. “What happens if you two walk into a trap and are both killed? What happens to your son then?”

Jared’s raw energy brushed against Sable’s as he moved in behind her. When he hesitated as if not knowing what to say, Sable spoke up. “Ana is his Godmother.”

Luna pursed her lips and glanced to Blaine next to her. The leopard Alpha shook his head. “My first priorities are the Pack and my kids. I would do anything to secure their future, including risking my own life. Cam wouldn’t let me do it alone, and nothing I said would change her mind.” He started to pace. “Fuck. You two will have complete access to our resources, and you will do everything in your power to come back alive.”

Sable nodded. “I plan to.”

Blaine’s grey stare pinned her, but she didn’t let it intimidate her. He may be an incredibly strong Alpha, but he wasn’t her Alpha. “Do you have a plan?”

Sable lifted one shoulder and resumed her relaxed pose against the tree. “I have a few. Felix is easy to deal with. My mother is another matter, and considering she’s been in a deep sleep for the last two hundred years or so, she has power stored up. I need to hunt down my mother’s Book of Shadows and do some research.”

“What kind of research?” Jared asked.

“The kind I can’t do on the Internet.” She glared at him, challenging the male to act on his impulse or aggression or whatever. If she were going to be stuck with him for however long the mission took, she’d have to push him to his breaking point. There was too much unresolved between them. Not to mention the sexual tension so thick it choked her to be around him.

At his sides, he fisted and un-fisted his hands. A muscle flexed in his temple as he stared at her. She raised a brow at him in a silent, “Bring it.”

Luna stepped between them and let out a growl. “I should lock you two up until you deal with that tension, but we don’t have time.” She glanced to Blaine then to Keegan before continuing. “You see, Sable, I have the gift of visions. Although it’s more of a curse at times. I can’t control it, and the future never looks pretty in them.”

A knowing settled over Sable. She pushed off the tree and reached out to the female Alpha. Blaine let out a warning growl and Sable dropped her hand. “That’s why Keegan approached me with the deal a few days ago. You knew Savannah was coming for me.”

Luna nodded. “I don’t need to tell you what she’ll do to the den.”

Keegan broke his silence, and Kieran cleared his throat. From the tension in the males, Blaine included, Sable guessed not many people knew about Luna’s gift. “The wards and security system will give us only a few minutes of warning.”

“I get it.” Sable held up her hands. “I’ll keep her busy.”

If her mother wanted her, then she’d have to chase her. Meeting Jared’s gaze, Sable smirked. “Ready to go on the run?”

He gave a short nod. “After you.”

Her jaguar pranced in anticipation of the chase. To be chased by their mate after being apart from him stirred a cocktail of emotions. Glee at the thought of being caught and possibly taken by him was knocked down by the reality that
he’d
broken that bond.

“As soon I get off Ashwood land, I’ll send the evil love birds a message.” After everyone nodded in acknowledgement, Sable took off into the woods. She didn’t bother to shift because she didn’t trust her cat around Jared. The beast would stalk the male until they both gave in to the desire coursing through her and what she felt rolling off of him.

The last thing she needed was to lose focus on what she had to do—set a trap for her parents.

****

Instinct and need clouded Jared’s mind as he took off after the female. His female. No. Not anymore. He’d made sure of that a little more than fifteen years ago when he’d ripped apart both their souls.

He let out a snarled curse and pushed his legs faster, focused on only her scent. Until he’d seen her, touched her, a few weeks back, he never knew how much her pain mirrored his own. How did she deal with it? She’d directed it at her father and turned most of the Onyx Pack against Felix to create a shifter rebel group.

The gift he used as comfortably as breathing had told him that the moment he touched her flesh. The contact also awakened the broken threads that used to bind them. His heart ached and his body hummed stronger than it had when they’d first met all those years ago.

Fuck
. He couldn’t do it again. It would kill him if the bond broke a second time.

Slowing to a jog, he sniffed the air. Sable’s ocean scent filled the air, mixing with the dirt and leaves of the forest. Pivoting to his left, he came face to face with her. One side of her sensual mouth lifted. It was all he could do to stay where he was. It’d be too easy to go to her, take her with raw passion, and claim her.

“What’s your plan, Sable?”

“I’m not sure yet. I sent a telepathic message to Felix. They should be looking for us somewhere about fifty miles south of Ashwood. That will buy us some time.” She turned to walk down an overgrown path.

He fell in step with her, careful not to touch her. “Time for what?”

“To search the ruins of the Onyx den.”

“Search for what?”

“I don’t know.”

He grabbed her arm, bringing her to a halt. “Don’t toy with me.”

She shoved him away and snarled. “I’m not toying with you. I’m not sure what I’m looking for. Hell, it may not even be in the den. Felix might have everything I need to learn about my mother. If that’s the case, we’d have to get captured to find out what I need to know.”

Staring into her teal gaze, he saw the truth of her words and the fear she hid behind the multiple shields around her mind and heart. He released her and put some space between them. “You need to communicate with me better. No more short sentence answers.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, but we play by my rules. Those are my parents we are plotting to kill.” She stormed off.

After a few yards, she broke out into a run. Jared let her go. He knew the location of the den. Besides, he needed the distance to clear his head before he did something stupid. Like fuck her.

Sable cleared the entrance of the Onyx den by hand, opposed to using her magick to blast away the rocks. Jared had crawled under her skin and stirred desires long buried. The male was growly, protective, bossy, and impossible to be around without wanting to tear his clothes off.

She couldn’t go there. Ever.

Damn jaguar
. Sable moved through the large common area of the den where the kids used to play. Her chest tightened. None of the kids over the age of five had a childhood. Not like the ones in Ashwood from what she’d witnessed over the last few weeks.

She’d been blind to her father’s sickness for too long. Now she would pay the price unless she could rid the world of the evil that threatened it. Even if it broke her heart to do so.

Jared’s cinnamon scent reached her senses before the male entered the cavern the den was carved into. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched him study the room. Rocks and other debris littered the place. However, Sable knew her father had set off the bomb deeper inside. The crazy SOB had hoped the whole mountain would cave in when Keegan and the others charged the den looking for Felix.

“What a waste,” she muttered and took the corridor to her left, not caring whether Jared followed or not.

Entering her father’s room, she crossed to the large painting hanging over the bed. With a flick of her hand, she flipped the bed on its side with her telekinesis. Then she swiped a hand over the canvas of the painting. The picture grew distorted, then the colors swirled together. A moment later, the canvas faded away, revealing an empty hole in the wall behind the painting.

“Damn it. I should have known.” She turned and glared at Jared filling up the doorway. “There was some kind of map or something inside a safe that used to be in that hole. I saw my father read it when I was little. He must have it.”

“Do you think it’s worth hunting down?”

She shook her head and opened a hidden door in the cavern wall. “No, I don’t think so. I need something personal of my mother’s to locate her Book of Shadows. I’m hoping to find her weakness.”

“Is there anywhere specific I can look?”

“Not really. Felix doesn’t trust anyone. Anything he wanted to keep from the others, including me, he hid in here.” She entered the small room and conjured an orb to light up the dark space. The room looked like it’d been ransacked. Papers, books, and a few empty boxes were scattered about.