In the Light of the Moon (Dark War Chronicles) (16 page)

Garrett laughed. “Sarah, go inside. This could get ugly and we don’t
need your weak beast coming out.” The woman turned and disappeared inside. “You
aren’t allowed to see her.”

 
“I just want to make sure
that you have her. I’m sure she’s raging right now and her beast is trying to
get out.” He crossed his arms.

“What’s it to you?”

“I can calm her beast.”

“Lies.” Garret snapped. “We have tried all kind of males from clans
over seas and none of them even touched her beast, I doubt a rogue could.”

Jax uncrossed his arms, flexing his hands. “You want to see? Let me
visit her.”

“Fine. Come.” Garret opened the door and Jax caught a brief glimpse of
Sarah as she ran down a flight of stairs. Jax traced his fingers over the claw
marks in the dry wall. He followed Garret, being careful not to stumble over
the shredded carpet on the floor. Garret led Jax down the same stairs Sarah had
disappeared down. He tried not to shiver as the cool air caressed his body. His
arm brushed against a wall and he hissed. “Silver in the walls? Really?”

“It keeps an enraged cat from pouncing on the walls. Trust me, it’s
saved our hides from Kass many times. Stupid wench.” Garret snapped. “And it
helps with Sarah’s inability to learn control. Doesn’t it?”

Sarah stood at the far side of the room, eyes wide as she nodded. “Kassity
is sleeping, I think. It’d be safe for you to go in.”

“Kassity doesn’t sleep. She’s waiting, Sarah. She’s smarter than that.”
Garret shooed the woman away from the door. He pulled a key out of his pocket
and unlocked the door, the moment the heavy steel door groaned Kass jumped to
her feet and grabbed Garret’s throat.

She threw Garrett to the ground and headed towards the stairs. Her
speed was almost too much for Jax to get in the way of, but he grabbed her
wrist at the last second while Garret recovered. He hated the idea of stopping
her, but he needed Garrett to believe his reasoning for being here. Her other
brother and her dad appeared at the top of the stairs. She whipped around and
snarled at Jax. Kass ripped her wrist away from him and crouched ready to take
them all on.

“You can’t fight us all Kass, not with that collar on.” Her dad came
down the stairs. Jax looked between him and Kass. “Thank you Jax for stopping
her. Even weak she moves like an immortal.” He grabbed Kass’ arm and threw her
back in the room.

Jax watched from behind as Kass stumbled and fell to her knees. His
panther stirred inside at the sight of her pale flesh and red hair. The need to
protect filled him and Jax moved towards the door. “I wanted to speak to her.”

“This is your chance then. We’ll leave you for a little while.”

Jax walked in the room and took a deep breath when the door was shut
and the lock clicked into place.

Kass jumped to her feet and slammed him
against the wall with a hand at his throat. “This is your fault.”

“What?” He asked, trying to pry her hand lose but having no luck and
hissing at the contact of silver from the walls.

Searching his face, she found the genuine surprise there and let him
go. “You were working for them. You are the reason they found me.” The anger
flowed through her as she paced the room.

“Who told you that?”

“Lucius hinted at it, but then my father confirmed it. I can’t believe
you would do that to me.”

He shook his head and sat on the floor, careful of the wall. “I was
working for them, but I didn’t know what they wanted with you. I was told a
completely different story than what is true. The pay was good and I didn’t
expect to… well-“

“Well what?” She crossed her arms under her naked chest.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I didn’t expect to fall in
love with you. The attractions our panthers have, that’s one thing, but our
human selves just click too.”

She blinked at him and backed away a few steps. She sat on her blankets
and pulled her knees up to her chest. Her eyes followed every movement he made
while she tried to digest his words. “You love me?”

“Yes. Had I known what your family wanted from the start I wouldn’t
have taken the job. I know I fucked up, but I came to make it right. To get you
out of here.”

“You led them straight to me.” She whispered and glanced up at him.
Trying to keep the anger out of her voice, she continued. “After five years of
not seeing them, not being traced by them, you led them right to me.”

“Your family found you through the news article about your death. They
told me what territory you were in, I took a job from Lucius to find out more
about you. I started hanging around the area, asking questions about the Black
Moon Clan, and when I asked about panthers, your name kept coming up. With a warning
to stay away from you because only Lucius could control you. ”

Kass raised a brow. “You’ve been killing for him?”

“No, he wanted me to track down a stone for him. Something he said that
was sent away and that’s all he knew.”

“You could have at least warned me, or let me run out of the damn house
instead of catching my wrist.” She growled and gathered her hair in her hand,
exposing her silver collar.

“Kass, hold still.” His eyes burned into hers as he approached her. He
cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. She hated herself as she parted
her lips, letting him in and their tongues entwine. Her beast rose inside her,
but it was a calm, testing the waters kind of motion. Kass pulled back and look
up at him, blinking a couple of times. She stepped away, but her panther
snarled inside her at the lose of contact. “Trust me.” He whispered.

Quinn paced the room as he held the phone to
his ear, waiting on hold to talk to the vampire he needed to speak to about
Kassity’s mark. Things were not going according to plan, but he hoped putting
Jaxon in the room would give her mark a chance to appear. A click on the other
end told him someone picked up.

“Speak.”

Even over the phone the vampire’s voice sent shivers down his back and
cause his own beast to approach with cautiousness. “We captured Kassity, but
the mark has yet to appear.”

“She’s no use to us without the mark.” The voice snarled.

“She still moves and fights like an immortal. That is what you need, is
it not?”

A beat of silence and Quinn thought his logic sunk into the vampire.
“What are you doing with her now?”

“Trying one more thing to see if the mark appears. If it does not
appear we will work on breaking her until she works for us. I know her past. I
know the key to turning her into a mindless killer now.” Thanks to his little
chat with her all he needed to do was for her beast to take control. If Lucius
could do it, so could Quinn.

“And you think that will work?” The vampire asked.

“I have no doubt. Lucius already did most the work for us. I just need
to continue it. You will have your panther killer. Mark or no mark.”

A dark laugh came across the phone. “For your sake you better hope that
mark appears. If it doesn’t it will be your life that I take.”

Quinn swallowed when the phone disconnected. Closing his eyes he
wondered how else to get the mark to appear. Kassity’s mother promised him it
would. It’s a shame he ordered her beheaded. His kind was dwindling down thanks
to the old ways of the Black Moon Clan. Only the strong were allowed to
survive, which made the clan weak. He needed this alliance to work out with the
Circle, and his youngest daughter was the only way.

Jax watched as she eyed him, his panther
paced within him as he waited for some type of answer. He had known this job
would go bad, but surprise filled him when she had let him kiss her. She pulled
him close and gave him another chaste kiss.

“Get me out of here and I’ll forgive you.” She promised when she met
his eyes.

He gazed into her green eyes and nodded. “That’s what I’m here for.
Since you know Lucius is an ass and wouldn’t come get you.”

“Couldn’t.” She corrected.

Jax raised a brow. “Couldn’t? I found you easily enough, he could have
just popped in here and gotten you.” He knew the anger sounded in his voice.
Never would he understand the loyalty Kass felt for the vampire.

“We’re in a different vampire’s territory. If Lucius were to come here
it would increase problems in the war.” She met his eyes. “That’s why he sent
you here. You are his way of coming to get me.”

He shook his head. “How did you know that he sent me?”

“Simple, you wouldn’t have known otherwise. Lucius would have acted on
the knowledge that you led my family to me and killed you.”

He heard the anger in her voice, but knew apologizing wouldn’t help it.
Not right now. Fixing this would.

When he didn’t respond Kass pulled her hair to the side and exposed the
collar. “We need to get this off.”

He motioned for her to turn around and then examined the mechanism that
was holding it shut. It was the same type of latch as a dog collar. “Why
couldn’t you take it off?”

“Too much pain.” She grumbled. “High concentration of silver on the
latch itself, and nothing to cut the silver threaded leather with.”

The thought hadn’t crossed his mind, and here he was planning on just
taking it off. He called claws to his hands and hooked one under the leather.
“This might hurt a bit.” He jerked his hand so that the claw cut through the
leather. She hissed, but the collar fell from her neck as planned.

He kissed the back of her neck over the red burn mark from the collar.
“Think it’ll heal?”

“It always does. Must be my immortal blood.” She said.

Jax searched her eyes and her face to see if she was joking. A ghost of
a smile tried to cross her face but it disappeared. “Immortal blood?”

“Don’t ask.” She grumbled and moved to the door. “The question is, best
way to get out of here, panther or human?”

Jax shrugged. “Which form is the strongest right now?”

“The panther wants blood.” She looked at him, her eyes flashing yellow.
He tried to keep the concern off his face and his panther paused at the idea of
her panther craving blood. He nodded. “Then we shift and run. If we get
separated we meet at the edge of the property?”

She nodded and shifted, before he could step in front of her she
pounced, tearing down the door. He shifted right behind her and ran out after
her.

Kass sniffed the air and snarled, running up the stairs. Jax followed
her, struggling to keep up with her, even with his long strides.
 
Moving as a black blur though the house,
she paused in the living room and sniffed at all the torn furniture. He nudged
her trying to get her going, thinking they shouldn’t trust their luck and just
get out of the house.
 
After a
playful snap at his paw she took a couple steps towards the door. Out of nowhere
a panther leapt over Jax and tumbled with Kass, breaking down the front door
and taking the two of them outside.

Jax moved to go after Kass, but Quinn appeared in his way. “Down kitty.
She fights her brothers and win she gains her freedom.”

Jax snarled at him as Sarah appeared behind him. Her eyes locked with
his and she tried to go towards him. Her father stopped her. Her yellow eyes
flashed in fear and panic as she wrapped her arms around herself.

“Change back.” Her father demanded.

Jax shook his head and crouched. Crawling towards Quinn as his tail
swishing from side to side, he realized that his panther also wanted blood. He
pounced on the still human male, only to be thrown off and into the wall. He
shook his head and lunged at the now shifted male. Their legs and paws locked
in a struggle as Jax tried to swipe at the other man’s jaw. Behind Quinn, Sarah
stood frozen as her body rippled while she fought the change.

Jax took note and prayed that she wouldn’t join the fight. He turned
back to the male in front of him and forced him backwards. Jax swiped at his
stomach as the other cat pushed him away.

Both of them turned at the sound of Sarah’s cries as she shifted. Jax
felt for her as her bones cracked and skin melted and reformed in an
uncontrolled shift. She ran off and her father tried to follow, but Jax locked
his jaw around the panther’s leg. He pulled back with a snarl, his panther
pushing against his human mind as he tasted blood. Jax tried to push him down as
Quinn came after him.

Jax launched himself at the bigger cat, and let his panther in control
as he heard Kass’ roar. The instinct to protect her crashed over him as he tore
out the other male’s throat and then sprinted off to the woods.

Kass snarled when she landed on her side in
the weeds making up the front yard. Jumping to her feet she crouched and faced
her brother. His taller and sleeker form told her that it was Garret, but where
one was the other was never far. Sniffing the air, she knew that Steven wasn’t
close and she could only assume that he was waiting to ambush her in the woods
that over ran the property.
 
Garret
snarled at her, bringing her attention back to him.