A Leopard's Path (8 page)

“Is there a problem?” Ana asked as she approached.

“Nothing that concerns you,
Darwin
.”

Ana’s last name was spat out with venom. She focused on the leopard who’d spoken. His too-long black hair hung in his gold eyes. With one brow raised, she closed the distance between her and the teen. Staring him in the eyes, she released her magick to let it flow wild inside of her, then called her own leopard to the surface. She wouldn’t hurt the boy, but she wasn’t about to let him bully her or anyone else.

“What’s your name?”

The gold in the male’s gaze brightened slightly before he lowered his lashes. “Matthew.”

She turned her attention to his friend. “And yours?”

“Jon, ma’am.”

“What’s the problem?”

Matthew stepped back, his shoulders lowering in a submissive manner. “Nothing. It’s over.”

He turned to walk off, but Ana grabbed his hand. When he met her stare, she said, “No, it isn’t. Speak your mind.”

He glanced to his friend, then back to her. “What are you going to do to us?”

A hint of fear coated his words. Damn it all. She fucking hated Felix. She cupped the boy’s cheek but didn’t pull back her magick or her leopard. “Children are a blessing to any Pack. They are to be loved, cherished, and disciplined. This is a mixed den, and how we accept and care for one another makes the Pack as a whole stronger. The Onyx are weak. Do you know why?”

Matthew relaxed as understanding fell over him. “Because they are not a family and don’t support each other individually.”

Ana smiled widely. “Yes. That will be their downfall. I didn’t realize that until I came here and saw the love within the Pack. If you have a problem with new members because of their past or where they came from, then you are no better than Onyx.”

Matthew gave her a short nod before turning to Brenna and offering her his hand. “I’m sorry.”

Brenna smiled and placed her hand in his. “So am I.”

Bryce pursed his lips but stuck his hands into his pockets before muttering, “I’m sorry, too.”

Jon bobbed his head. “Yeah, me too.”

A sense of pride swelled in Ana’s chest. “Good. Why don’t y’all go see if there is anything Rhea needs at the nursery?”

They nodded in unison, but before they left, Ana added. “There’s a new jaguar in the den…”

“Nigel,” Brenna said.

“Jared introduced him to us this morning.” Bryce finished.

Ana glanced from one twin to the other and shook her head. The link between them was strong and a little strange at times. “Good. Make sure you make him feel welcome.”

“We will,” Matthew said as the group walked down the road toward the nursery.

“You handled that much better than I would have.”

Ana whirled around at Alec’s voice. She frowned. “Did I overstep a boundary?”

“No, not at all.” His features softened, and she swore she saw a hint of a smile. Something Alec didn’t do often. “I can’t be everywhere, so I appreciate the help.”

Silence fell between them, and she scanned the area, looking for an escape. She wanted to be alone, but what she really needed was a good fight. Or to kill a few mutants.

“Look, I was headed to the gym. Do you want to join me? It’d help release some of the tension you have built up.” His request was soft and unsure.

Studying him, she noted the dark shadows under his eyes. “When was the last time you slept?”

One large shoulder raised. “I don’t sleep much.”

She almost used her gift to read his soul, but didn’t. Alec had to open up on his own. She wasn’t going to be the one to violate his trust by being nosey. “I could use a good sparring session.”

“Great.”

Smiling, she followed him to the recreation building that had been added during the rebuild of the den. Out of everyone in her new family, Alec was the only one she felt a solid connection with. Somehow, he understood her without knowing anything about her.

It was sad that her own mate didn’t. Her heart ached, but she pushed it away. She had a lot to consider when it came to mating Kieran Michaels. The main question was if they were even true mates.

Chapter Twelve

Sable’s head felt like it was being squeezed in a vise. Throbbing pain made it hard to think and focus on the dimly lit, damp room her parents had thrown her in.

Her parents. She’d expected as much from her father. Especially since his sanity had retreated over the last few years. As for her mother? Well, Sable had believed the woman was dead. A low growl escaped her as she forced her eyes open, pushing back the searing pain at her temples.

The scent of lilies drifted in the air a moment before a female shadow fell over her. Sable ground her teeth. She wasn’t sure who to be mad at, her father or the ghost standing outside her cell. “You are supposed to be dead.”

A soft sigh escaped the witch before she replied. “Well, I may as well have been. Those Ashwood bastards locked me in a deep sleep.” Savannah paused, drawing Sable’s attention.

The woman was almost a mirror image of herself, except Sable’s skin tone was slightly lighter. Savannah still wore the white gown from earlier, the cotton fabric contrasting beautifully with her mocha skin. Skin that glowed with a divine power.

“For good reason.” Sable bit out and returned her attention to the ceiling. “Your magick is too powerful.”

“What do you know of my power?”

It came out as a snarl, but Sable ignored it. Her father wasn’t the only one with secrets. “I know a thing or two about magick. I was raised by Felix, after all.”

The female laughed, evil and cold. “So true, dear. Who do you think trained your father?”

If it were sixteen years prior, before Sable had met Jared and given birth to Nigel, she’d find Savannah’s words intriguing. Not anymore. Sable wasn’t the person she used to be. Ana had helped her see the truth.

Sable had fallen in love with Ana when Felix brought her home along with lies about who the baby’s family was. Then Sable had to go and meet her mate, who happened to be a Pack member of her enemy. Jared broke her when he bonded with her, and again when he cut that bond.

Having her own child to protect had changed her outlook on how Felix ruled the Onyx Pack.

“I need you to tell me where Zorana is.”

Sable’s blood ran cold and she let out a growl before flying to the bars. Savannah backed out of reach. “You will leave her out of this.”

Another wicked cackle left the evil witch. “Ah, such the protector. You don’t have a say in her future. She is the mate of one of my captors. She will pay the price.”

Fury built inside Sable, unleashing the magick she contained and hid from others. Power flowed through her, and without a conscious thought she thrust a large fireball at Savannah. The witch deflected it as if it were a gnat.

“Don’t push me, daughter. You
will
aid me in my quest.”

Sable gripped the bars so hard her knuckles turned white. “I’m not your daughter. My mother died a long time ago.”

A flash of gold rippled through Savannah’s irises, then died almost immediately. “Deny it all you want, but you will need my help with all that bottled-up magick. The shields you built to contain it are fracturing. When they break, the power will consume you. If it doesn’t kill you.”

Sable clenched her jaw, hating that Savannah could read her so easily. “It’s too late for motherly advice. I will never work with you, and I damn well won’t ask for your help.”

She didn’t get the last word out completely before the headache returned in crippling force. Dropping to her knees, Sable pressed her palms to either side of her head and held back a scream. The dim beam of light Savannah blocked with her presence streamed into the cell.

Breathe
, Sable commanded herself and her cat. She needed to find a way out of the shit box her parents had stuck her in. Then find Ana and warn her.

First, she needed to ease the damn headache. A task that seemed impossible when she couldn’t focus through the pain.

She had to, though. For Nigel and Ana.

****

“Come on, Ana, give me all you got.”

Ana narrowed her gaze at Alec as he bounced from foot to foot, taunting her from the other side of the gym. The quiet one. Yeah, right. The male possessed a power inside him that rivaled his brother’s Alpha strength. Yet, Alec never called on it unless fighting their enemies. Could he really take everything she had to give?

A slow, mocking smile lifted her lips. “I will have to apologize in advance then. Better yet, should I call Dani and have her on standby?”

He let out a low growl. “Funny, female. Now, hit me.”

Lowering all of her shields, she allowed her magick to flow through her, wild and warm. She and Alec had talked about training her magickal strengths, as well as her physical. Talking with her brother about it had eased the tension from her fight with Kieran earlier.

However, concern still lingered in the back of her mind. What if she lost control?
Stop it
. She trusted Alec.

With practiced control, she conjured a small orb of energy in one hand and a wood sword in the other. Alec’s expression never changed as he fell into a defensive stance. She studied him for a moment before charging toward him, thrusting the ball of magick at him as he rushed forward.

Instead of slamming into him and shocking his system, the ball shattered into tiny flecks of light a moment before hitting him. Fuck. She gripped the sword tighter and swung when she met Alec in the middle of the gym, hitting him in the lower back.

He roared as he whirled around to come at her again. She swung once more, only to have him yank the sword from her grip and toss it aside. The sword bounced off the gym floor, the sound echoing around them.

Alec’s eyes had gone pure cat, and for a moment, Ana believed he wanted to kill her. When she formed a fireball between her hands, he skidded to a stop about a foot from her.

He raised a brow. “What do you plan to do with that?”

“I can control the burn.” She laughed and dissolved the ball of fire. “How did you break my energy ball?”

He chuckled. “I am not without my own gifts.”

“Really?” She walked over and nudged him with an elbow. “Do tell.”

One large shoulder lifted briefly. “It’s more defensive than anything. I can break power balls and form small force fields.”

“How big?”

“Big enough for me and two other people. Worthless for a full-on attack on the den.”

The last statement was said on a growl. Ana understood his anger, but what was done was done. “We’re stronger now, and there were no fatalities.”

He rolled his neck and sighed. “You’re right. It’s just that there’s been so much loss with the Packs…”

She reached out and brushed her fingers across his arm, then let her arm drop. “I’m sorry.”

He faced her, his brows drawn. “You’re as much a victim as the rest of us. You have nothing to be sorry for.” He paused and touched his fingertips to her cheek before stepping away. “You have Mom’s calming nature.”

A lump formed in her throat, but she swallowed it. She didn’t have to use her magick to know he’d been close to their mother. “Do you think one day you could tell me everything about her?”

He averted his gaze and gave a short nod. “One day. Soon.”

The gym door opened then slammed shut. Kieran’s earthy scent filled the air. Alec glanced at him, then brushed past Ana so their arms touched. With a low chuckle, he said, “Good luck.”

Ana rolled her eyes as her brother left her alone with Kieran. The thought to follow Alec and avoid another disagreement with her stubborn as hell mate entered her mind. But she wouldn’t run. She needed to be heard.

She crossed her arms and waited. There was nothing to apologize for, and she’d be damned if she would.

Kieran stopped about a foot from her. “How was the workout?”

Small talk? Something was up.

“It was great. I learned a few things about my brother.”

Kieran held her gaze for several moments before holding out his hand, palm up. “Walk with me?”

Even though his tone was light and free of emotion, she sensed a hint of sadness rolling off him. He’d never gotten upset at their fights before. Usually, they avoided each other until things simmered down. “What is it?”

“Damn it,” he growled then framed her face and kissed her.

The kiss was demanding, unforgiving, and it set her body on fire. He pushed his tongue inside her mouth, and she didn’t fight him. She needed him, needed this raw passion between them. Unfolding her arms, she wrapped them around his shoulders and scored his back with her nails.

Much too soon, he broke the kiss and buried his nose in her neck. “Every instinct tells me to chain you up to keep you safe.”

“You can’t chain me.”

“I know. But we can compromise.” He lifted his head and framed her face with his hands. His gold eyes locked with hers. “I can’t lose you.”

And yet you won’t bond with me…

Ana let the thought drift away. There was no point in dwelling on old, childish dreams that Kieran would ever claim her.

“What’s wrong?” she asked again.

“I’ve been given another assignment.”

Her heart sank. “What do you mean?”

Sliding his hands down her arms, then linking his fingers of one hand with hers, he tugged her outside. “I’ll explain at home.”

Chapter Thirteen

Kieran held the door open for Ana to enter their home. Her uneasiness and suspicion rolled off her in waves, amplifying his anxiety even more. He’d told her his assassin days were over. Then Donovan went and gave him another assignment.

Once inside the living room, she turned to him and folded her arms, her grey gaze locked with his.
Fuck
. He scrubbed a hand over his face. “There’s a rebel cell about fifty miles north that is rumored to have gone rogue.”

“And you have to go and do what?” Her tone was flat and her eyes unmoving.

“Check it out. If they are a threat, I have to eliminate them.”