A Leopard's Path (10 page)

A long moment later, Nigel turned and ran toward Ashwood. Jared snarled low to himself before shifting back to his jaguar and chasing after his son.

Chapter Fifteen

“He’s so small.” Amazement and happiness swirled within Ana’s heart as she ever so gently caressed Wesley’s cheek.

Cam rested her chin on Ana’s shoulder. “He’s perfect, just as long as he shifts into a tiger.” She paused to giggle, then laughed out an “ouch.”

Ana glanced to Shay, who had reached over the cradle and pulled Cam’s hair, a playful gleam in her eyes. Glancing at Wesley, Shay rubbed his back then bent down to kiss his head. “My son is perfect even if he doesn’t shift.”

Shay turned on the baby monitor and motioned to the door. Even though none of them needed it due to their supernatural hearing, Shay had wanted them. Ana could understand the tiger’s need to listen to her son sleep.

When Nigel was a baby, Ana hadn’t left his side. Neither had Sable. He was a very spoiled and loved baby, and still was as the young man he was becoming. A sense of sadness washed over her.

“You okay?” Shay asked from behind her as they walked down the hall to the living room.

Ana shrugged. “Just thinking of Nigel and Sable.”

“From what I hear, Sable is a survivor. Plus, Jared will go after her,” Cameron stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

When they sat on the sofa, Ana studied the Alpha female. “How can you be so sure?”

It was Shay who answered. “They’re true mates. Jared will not rest until he either kills her or mates her again. And since killing her would be more painful than cutting the bond, he’ll mate her, eventually.”

That would be something Ana wanted no part of, but she did want them to find some peace. Especially for Nigel’s sake. “I guess.”

“Once you find a mate, you can’t rest until you have him or her.” Cameron frowned. “I should know. I tried to run from mine for so long.”

Shay covered Cameron’s hand. “You were waiting for your third.”

A slow smile formed on Cameron’s lips. “Yes, and now I have him.” She focused on Ana for several moments. The slow curl of the female’s lips made Ana want to crawl under a rock. “I see that Kieran has come to his senses.”

“I’m confused,” she admitted, unsure how she felt about being mated. It was wonderful, yet she felt like something was off. Like Kieran was still holding back. Or maybe she was. “I guess I was expecting the bond to be stronger.”

The two females glanced at each other before Cam spoke. “Maybe you haven’t fully accepted him, or both of you are holding back.”

Ana’s belly soured at hearing her sister-in-law speak the words out loud. Dread rolled inside her. Had she pushed him to mate before he was ready? Hell, she didn’t even think
she
was ready.

“Maybe,” Ana said softly.

Shay patted her hand before giving it a gentle squeeze. “It’ll click, and when it does you’ll want to lock herself up with him for a month or so.”

The three of them burst out laughing, and some of Ana’s tension melted away. She opened her mouth to reply, but her phone chimed. Glancing at the message from Kieran, she frowned, then stood. “Thanks for the talk.”

After giving each of them a hug, Ana took her time walking to her and Kieran’s home a few blocks down the main dirt road running through Ashwood. When she entered the house, she found Kieran waiting for her with two backpacks and her thigh holster.

“What took you so long?”

She set her jaw and stared for a long moment. “You didn’t say it was urgent. In fact, you said tonight. The sun doesn’t set for two hours.”

He tilted his head, his gold eyes darkening slightly. “What’s wrong?”

If he didn’t know… “Nothing. Let’s go.” She snatched one of the packs and the holster from him, walked out of the house and climbed into his truck.

When he locked the front door and turned to her, he glared and worked his jaw. Let him be mad. She didn’t care.

He climbed into the truck and faced her. “We’re not leaving until you tell me what the fuck I did now.”

“It’s nothing you did.” When he didn’t move to start the engine, she sighed. “I’m just not sure how I’m supposed to feel right now.”

Reaching out, he caressed her cheek. He leaned into her and spoke softly. “We are so used to keeping each other at a distance that we are still doing it. After we check out the camp, we’ll go somewhere. Just you and me.”

Hope and surprise bloomed within her, sparking her leopard’s attention. Studying his handsome face, she smiled, then closed the small gap between them to press a kiss to his lips. “Thank you.”

Kieran had always known what she needed, and until that moment she didn’t understand how. They were mates. Even before the bond, she too sensed his desires on the rare occasions he let his guard down. With the mating bond in place and growing stronger every moment, she felt his needs as her own.

“But I can’t go away, not now.” She pulled away to glance out the window. Worry for Sable surfaced, darkening her mood a little more. She itched to go with Hayden and his group to the place Brenna and Bryce had found the day before. Ana wanted to take out the mutants guarding the building that held Sable.

“After this is over, then.” Kieran started the truck and pulled out of the driveway.

Several miles outside of Ashwood, Ana began to grow edgy. She couldn’t explain why. It was like the forest around her possessed an eerie magick, or a dark presence. “We will have backup, right?”

“Yes. I spoke to Donovan this morning and his source said things in the camp had changed. He didn’t go into details, but I figured it wasn’t for the better. Tanner and Kirk will meet us there.” Kieran gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as if sensing the same darkness she had.

“Good.” From what she knew of the sentries, they were lethal. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

He covered her hand with his. “So do I. That’s why I have a few sentries on standby.”

She wasn’t surprised, but it still didn’t ease her nerves. Something, or someone, was watching and waiting. The inky, dark sensation crawled over her skin and became heavier the closer they got to their destination.

For the first time in her life, Ana was prepared to unleash her power and call on the magick running in her veins. She didn’t only have her life to protect, but her mate’s and her den’s. No one was going to take it away. She’d die first.

Chapter Sixteen

Jared worked his jaw as he stared into his son’s eyes, challenging the boy to go against him. Apparently, his son was as hardheaded as him. The blue in Nigel’s eyes darkened briefly before he dropped his shoulders and turned his back to Jared.

“Your mother sent you here to be protected.” Jared took a slow, calming breath. His chest ached. Seeing his son hurting was almost too much because Jared understood the pain in Nigel’s eyes and the sense of loss rolling off the boy.

Without glancing at him, Nigel straightened his spine. “She’s my mother, and I want to help get her out of there.”

“She’s my mate.”

The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could rein them in. However, they were effective in drawing a narrow-eyed glare from his son. Nigel faced him and pointed. The kid’s jaguar peered out of blue eyes. “Why aren’t you mated? Why didn’t you come for us, to take us out of that hell-hole of a Pack?”

A low growl escaped Jared. “Because, Sable didn’t want to leave.”

Nigel jerked his head back. After a few moments, he glanced away. “She hated Felix. Hated everything he’d done. She stayed to protect those who were too scared to leave.”

Jared closed his eyes then rubbed his temples. He knew everything his son said was true, yet he couldn’t bring himself to go to her. The pain of her betrayal weighed on his chest. “Not when we were together. I told her it was her father or me, and…well, you know who she chose.”

Blaine’s and Hayden’s scent reached Jared’s keen senses a moment before the males entered his office. After forcing himself to relax, Jared fixed a stare on Nigel. “I need you to stay with Cameron. I will go with Hayden and his team to get your mother. You do understand that the Alphas will lock her up?”

Nigel nodded once. “If she doesn’t run.”

“If she does, I’ll track her down personally. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Nigel sagged slightly before dropping into a nearby chair. Jared lifted his gaze to meet Blaine’s.
You know only I can bring her in. I’ll pass judgment before I do.

The Alpha made a growl-like noise in his throat before replying telepathically.
Be sure you keep your head on straight. I’d hate to tell my mate I had to execute her brother.

Noted.

****

Stepping out of his truck, Kieran scanned the forest around the small cabin he’d rented about a mile from the rebel camp. He held in a growl as Ana’s uneasiness flowed loud and clear through the mating bond. She’d grown twitchy on the ride over, which added to his mounting anxiety. As did the heavy magick that blanketed the air, dark and oily. It reminded him of Savannah’s power.

Fuck, why had he brought Ana along? Because she was damn good at killing mutants if they ran into any.

“I don’t like it here,” Ana muttered, but Kieran sensed her curiosity about what was causing the stay-the-fuck-away vibe.

“Me neither. The faster we check out the camp, the better.”

She nodded and entered the small cabin with a sigh. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he relaxed, as well. The small home was warded against whatever magick lay outside.

Ana set her bag on the sofa and turned to him. “I can extend this energy out and form a barrier around the cabin. It will hide us for a little while.”

His sensual lips lifted in a lazy smile as he stalked toward her. When he stopped inches from her, his wild scent flowed around her, igniting the fire only he could stir. She threaded the fingers of her right hand through his hair and rested the palm of her other over his heart. “War or no war, you are mine.”

“As you are mine.” He pressed a soft kiss to her lips before his brows dipped. “I have a confession that you will not like.”

A spark of dread settled in her stomach. His low tone, and the guilt that traveled through the mating bond made her dizzy. How bad was his confession? She stepped back, crossed her arms, and slammed down her shields.

He reached out to her but didn’t make contact before dropping his arm and pacing away. “I was born in the Onyx Pack, trained to be a sentry, and became Marshal by the time I was thirty.”

Relief left her boneless and she sat on the sofa. A giggle bubbled out, drawing Kieran’s attention to her. “I’m sorry. I already knew that. Sable told me. She also told me you talked Felix into letting you spy on Ashwood. It wasn’t until I found out who my real family was that I pieced everything together.”

“What did you conclude?”

The scowl on his face amused her more. “That you had somehow become good friends with Keegan. You are so much more at ease around him. When we came to the den, it was as if you were finally home. I know because I felt those things, too. Plus, Cam had filled me in on how you trained Blaine to be a Marshal. Although I don’t know all the details.”

She twisted to face him, tucking one leg under her. His gold eyes watched her, and she lowered her shields to allow the love she felt for him to travel along the threads of the bond. A slight smile lifted his lips.

“Why didn’t you tell me you knew?”

She brushed a stray hair from his forehead. “I was waiting for you to tell me. I figured you would when you were ready.”

“When I began my training as an Onyx soldier, things were different. Felix was different. Believe it or not, he was a compassionate Alpha and the Pack was healthy. My father was his Marshal at the time.” Kieran paused, sorrow etched in his features as he reached out to her. “There was a time I blamed myself for the failing health of the Pack.”

“What happened to Felix?” Even though she hated the male for everything he’d done, she knew there had to be a time when he was…sane. Right?

“Savannah happened. The witch was power hungry before Felix even met her. I’d always believed she used him for his telepathic gifts, as well as his knowledge of genetics to gain more power. Not long after they mated, Felix started neglecting the Pack and forced male children as young as five into solider training. The added aggression, as you witnessed yourself, made them change at a younger age.” Kieran fisted his hand and Ana covered it with her own.

“Do you think Savannah’s dark magic poisoned him?”

Kieran nodded. “The mating bond would allow him access to it.”

“Once he got a taste for her greed and power, he wanted more.” Ana squeezed his hand, her own anger for all the lost innocents rising. “So, how long before you approached him about spying on Ashwood?”

“A few months. Felix started ranting about how Ashwood, who had always been a great ally, was holding Onyx back from thriving. He blamed Keegan for spying on him. I never understood why. Felix never gave anyone an answer. When I tried to talk reason into him, he questioned my loyalty to the Pack.” Kieran turned his hand over and linked his fingers with Ana’s. His warm palm was tense but gentle.

The sense that he needed to get it off his chest came through the bond, so she snuggled into him and asked, “What happened next?”

“Like I said, Ashwood was one of Onyx’s biggest allies, so I approached Keegan about leaving Onyx. He suggested that I tell Felix I’d go to Ashwood as a spy.”

She paused and scanned his face. When he opened his mouth to speak again, she placed a finger over his lips. “I’m so sorry. I’ve been so crazy lately. My whole world was turned upside down and I didn’t know where I fit in. Still don’t. Then you avoided any talk about mating… I thought I’d lost you. Thought you didn’t understand. But you do.”

He gripped her arms gently and tugged her to him until she was flattened against his chest. “I wanted to keep you safe. Savannah will come after me, Keegan, and everyone that means something to us.”