Jaguar's Judgment (6 page)

Sable paced the small bedroom her mother had placed her in a few hours ago. Furious didn’t begin to describe what she felt. Jared wasn’t responding to her mental nudges. Damn, male.

To add fuel to the fire, her cycle had begun. If she didn’t get out of this place and find Jared, she’d go mad with need. Maybe that was what she needed to do. In the rage of the heat cycle, she’d tear the place apart to get at her mate.

A wicked grin formed on her lips as hope bloomed in her chest.
Jared, here I come
.

As soon as she figured out the damn spell her mother placed on the door and windows. Somehow, Sable didn’t think salt would counteract the magick. Even if she happened to have some.

Okay, think, Sable
. Easier said than done with her jaguar pacing within and snarling because she wanted her mate. The mating bond only made the craving of her heat cycle worse. The fact that he was in the same building and she couldn’t get to him…Yeah, shit was going to get real, soon.

Just then, she doubled over as pain rocked through her abdomen. A sheen of sweat formed on her skin and the room grew too warm. Balling her fist, she pressed it into her stomach and breathed in and out in slow breaths. She ground her teeth, fighting back a scream.
Fuck, this is your fault, Jared
.

The door flew open, drawing her attention. Her mother, along with two mutant guards entered the room. A growl ripped from her throat as she crouched low, allowing her jaguar to rise up and take over when she felt she needed to.

Savannah’s lips twitched. “You are free now. Together we can take down the Council and finish what your Father and I started all those centuries ago.”

No way in Hell
. Sable charged at the witch but hit an invisible wall within a foot of reaching her. Then every muscle in Sable’s body seized as if commanded to do so. Meeting her mother’s dark teal stare, Sable instantly regretted her actions.
Stupid move, Sable
.

Savannah withdrew a syringe from her pocket and drifted closer. Sable’s heart hammered and dread shook her insides. Steeling her nerves, she locked gazes with her mother. The female would not intimidate her. At least she could stop her mother from seeing how worried she was of what might be in that needle.

Unable to break the hold her mother had over her, Sable watched the female raise the needle and plunge it into her arm. The liquid was hot as it flowed through her veins. The real fear gripped her heart when her mother said, “That was the new mutant virus. You will have no choice but to stand by me now.”

No
! Tears streamed down her face. She’d never be able to see or hold her son again. Not to mention her mate. The bright future turned dark in a matter of moments.

“I will die before becoming one of those monsters. When I do, I’ll take you with me.” The sadness turned to fury. She lowered all her shields, releasing the full force of her power. It spread to her fingers and toes and into her aura. With barely a thought, she thrust the energy out so it blasted through the room.

Savannah was thrown out of the room they were in, through the closed door across the hall and slammed into the far wall. Her body went limp and sank to the floor. The hold she had over Sable broke.

Stepping into the bedroom across from the one she was in, Sable watched Savannah’s still form. She wasn’t dead, Sable knew that from the parental link they shared. Though weak, it was still there. A snarl echoed in the room, and Sable raised her hand, a lethal, white bolt of lightning formed in her palm.
Good-bye, Mother
.

Shuffling of boots against the ceramic tile floor caught her attention. She whirled around to see the two mutants staring at her as if she were the monster. Dumb and dumber glanced at each other then returned their attention to her. Their heads tilted in unison. Confusion and a hint of fear washed over their features.

Studying them, she noticed that the dazed, zombie-like stare standard for the mutants wasn’t in their eyes. The slight clarity was something Sable had only seen in Gina—the mutant living in Ashwood who had made a semi-antidote for the serum.

So, dear Daddy, that’s why you keep them under mind control
.

Glancing behind her, she noted Savannah wasn’t there.
Fucking great
.

She returned her attention to the mutants and growled. “Where’s my father?”

Most of the shifter communities believed the mutants couldn’t speak. That was because most chose not to, and Felix kept them on a tight leash.
Until now
.
Strange
.

The half-wolf, half-human beast on the right spoke. “In the lab.”

The thought of reaching into their minds and bending their will to obey her tempted her. No, that would make her no better than her parents. She was nothing like them. The best thing she could do with the mutants was put them out of their misery.

“Sorry, boys, but you will be better off,” she muttered as she focused on the beating of their hearts. Quickly, she shot out her hands, palms facing each of them, sending a jolt of power straight to their hearts, stopping them instantly.

When they crumpled to the floor, she stepped over them and exited the room. Unsure of how much of a head start her mother would give her, she tore off down the hallway and toward the underground lab and dungeon. Although Sable had never been to that facility, she wasn’t surprised to find the layout the same as the others. Felix hated change, therefore, kept all of his dens and hideouts mapped out the same.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs leading into the underground level of the building, Jared’s scent slammed into her. Her skin grew taut, her nipple hardened, and her pussy ached. Clenching her teeth, she advanced in the direction of her mate, which was at the opposite end of the dungeon from the lab.

She stopped in front of the cage. He stopped pacing and snapped his gaze to hers. “You’re in heat.”

“And you’re so observant.” When he reached for her, she jumped out of reach. “Don’t touch me right now. We don’t have long before my parents come for us.”

Sable whirled around at the sound of footsteps rushing toward them. With a thought, she popped the lock on Jared’s cell then ran toward the mutants charging them. She blasted the first two with her magick, killing them and making the next pair stop in their tracks.

The second set of beasts looked human, but Sable could tell they were nothing but slave assassins like their half-animal counterparts. It was the same as the mutant she’d killed outside of Hunter Ridge. A new breed of mutant.

Felix and Savannah needed to be stopped. They weren’t her parents, not in the happy family way. A lump formed in her throat, but she swallowed it and straightened her spine. She would not grieve their deaths because she already had. A long time ago.

The human-like mutant growled and shifted his hands into claws. Sable frowned but did the same. She also called her power, building it around her and Jared to form a circle. After she was sure the circle was closed around them, she sent a blast of fire, fueled by magick, through the underground level. A split moment after she’d released the powerful blast, she spotted Felix behind the mutants.

Her chest tightened and her heart stilled for a brief moment as she watched her father become engulfed by the flames.

Jared’s arms wrapped around her from behind and he kissed her neck. “We need to leave.”

Closing her eyes, she teleported them back to Hunter Ridge.

****

Jared laid Sable on the blanket in front of the fireplace. She hadn’t spoken to him since they’d arrived. It was like she’d shut down, or close to it. A moment later, a fire flared to life, sparked by Sable’s magick. Watching her, his heart ached. With the mating bond in place, he felt her pain from the heat cycle, the emptiness from losing the connection to her father, and something else she hid from him.

He wished there was something he could do, but she’d have to grieve on her own. He understood it. Even though it was her mission to kill Felix, it didn’t make her hurt any less.

Her eyes drifted open and stared into his before she curled in a ball as if another wave of need rolled through her. They’d been in that moment before. He knew all too well the only way to ease her pain was to spill his seed deep inside her.

Threading his fingers through her hair, he grabbed a handful and gently tugged. “I will not break the bond a second time. Could you handle forever with me?”

Her breaths increased and her teal eyes darkened. “We don’t have forever.”

“I’m not letting you out of this that easy,” he teased.

She averted her gaze to stare into the dancing flames. “I’m infected with the mutant virus. Savannah injected it into me before I found you in the dungeon.”

His chest tightened. The fear of losing her just when he’d opened his heart to her again ran hot in his blood. “I’m not giving up on you.”

He withdrew his phone from his jeans pocket and dialed Dani—Ashwood’s leopard Healer. She answered on the third ring and he rushed his words out. “I need you to come to Hunter Ridge, now.”

“Good evening to you too, Jared.” She sighed and continued, “What happened?”

“Sable’s infected. Please tell me you have some of the antidote left.”

From the corner of his eye, he saw Sable shake her head. “This is a new formula, different from the virus you contracted when you were attacked last winter.”

Dani softened her voice. “What new formula? Look, Sven is here, I’ll bring him and Gina with me.”

Jared nodded. “Please hurry.” He ended the call before he remembered that Sven wouldn’t be able to come into the house with Sable in heat. Jared’s jaguar wouldn’t let him.

Sable groaned and curled up in a ball. Her fangs lengthened twice their normal size—one of the first signs of the transformation. His hands shook as he caressed her cheek and brushed her hair from her face.

“Hang in there, baby.” He wouldn’t—couldn’t—lose her again.

It took Dani, Sven, and Gina fifteen minutes too long to arrive. In that time, Jared had to restrain Sable to keep her from hurting herself. He could handle an attack from her, but he didn’t want to deal with her guilt in the end.

He waited outside the front door for the trio to exit the car and make their way to him. After they stopped in front of him, he glared at Sven. The Birchwood—an allied wolf Pack located in Georgia—Healer, with his white blonde hair standing on end and his wire-rimmed glasses that he didn’t need, looked like a geeky, human college student.

“She’s in heat,” Jared growled.

Sven shrugged. “You two are mated. I’m not affected by it. However, if it makes you feel better, I can stay in the living room. Gina can get me the blood samples I need.”

Hands fisted by his side, Jared turned and led them into the house. Once inside, he cringed at the string of growled curses coming down the hall. “Sable is in the first bedroom on the right. I had to restrain her.”

Dani gave a short nod as she passed him to advance to the hallway. Gina, however, hesitated, her eyes wide with fear. Jared forced his jaguar to calm before extending his hand to the mutant. “Sable needs your help.”

Gina flicked her gaze to his then down to his offered hand. “Felix…”

“Is dead,” Jared said softly. “Sable killed him. Will you help her?”

He wanted nothing but to remind the female that she was bound by a blood oath to help the Pack, but he could feel her anxiety swirling around her. After a few long moments, Gina nodded. “I will help her only because you asked me to and Ana cares for her.”

When the female went to walk by him, he stepped in her path. “Has Sable ever hurt you?”

“No.” Gina’s brows drew together.

“At some point in our lives, we’ve all done things we’re not proud of in order to survive.” Jared moved to allow Gina to pass.

The clunk of Sven’s laptop on the coffee table drew Jared’s attention to the male. On the floor beside him was a medical bag. The wolf reached in and pulled out a black box and some kind of device that he connected to the computer. Without looking at Jared, Sven said, “Forgiveness is a great strength to possess.”

Frowning, Jared turned and headed to the bedroom.

By the time he reached the room, Sable’s growls had turned to soft moans. She lay on the bed watching Dani as she took blood from her arm, filling a few tubes. As if sensing him, Sable’s gaze snapped to his. A low growl rumbled from her.

Dani glanced at him from over her shoulder. “Don’t hover, Jared.”

He wasn’t hovering, just didn’t know what he should do. Moving to the other side of the bed, he sat and took Sable’s free hand. She focused on him. “You should kill me before it’s too late.”

“Sven created two separate antidotes, he can do it again.”

Sable shook her head. “This is different. I’m supposed to have a natural resistance. Felix had me tested. My mother did something to the serum.”

Dani withdrew the needle from Sable’s arm and handed the vials of blood to Gina. “Tell Sven what Sable just said.”

The mutant female nodded and rushed out of the room.

“Sven has advised me not to give you anything to ease the symptoms of the heat cycle.” Dani spoke to Sable, ignoring the warning growl Jared gave her.

Sable offered a weak smile. “What are you doing to keep me calm now?”

Dani glanced to Jared, then back to Sable. “It’s called a Healer’s touch and something I’ve been working on with Sasha. She has the incredible ability to soothe others and showed me how to direct my natural healing power to the patient’s mind to help ease discomfort.”

After a short nod, Sable closed her eyes. Jared caressed her arm, feeling helpless. “What’s taking him so long?”

Just then, Sven appeared in the doorway, but didn’t enter the room. “Her natural resistance is fighting the virus but can’t do it alone. Jared’s blood will help her.”

Hope bloomed in his chest and he rolled up his sleeve. “Then do a transfusion.”

“Won’t work. She needs it straight from the source.” Sven stared at him as if that answered everything.