Jade (Rare Gems Series) (15 page)

“Nah
, let them run with it. When it starts to die down, I’ll give them something else. Advertising is free for us, and we get your name out in the papers at the same time. But I do need to talk to you. It’s about the school. Did you really set up a surveillance crew there?”

“I did. Is there a problem?”
Blair assured him that he’d just been surprised. “Angie goes there, as well as Emerald. And someday your own child will go there along with mine and Thad’s. I figured that it was the least I could do for my new family.”

“I hate to point out that you are spending a great deal of money in my pack.
You should get permission for that sort of thing.” There was humor there, and Quentin knew that Blair wasn’t upset. “What if I wanted to do it?”

“I’ll split the cost of the crew that monitors the cameras.
What’s this really about? Has something happened?” There was a long silence, and Quentin got nervous. “Blair, what’s going on?”

“I’m terrified
, if you want the truth. I’m going to be a father soon, and my child is going to have to be out there. With humans and other creatures that I suddenly don’t trust but always did before. What the fuck is wrong with me?” Quentin laughed. “It’s not fucking funny, you asshole. I’m scared someone will hurt what’s mine.”

“I know the feeling.”
Quentin decided that he could help the big man out on this one. “When Angie’s mother was killed just after our daughter was born, I wouldn’t leave the house for anything. I did all my work from home, had groceries delivered. Hell, I even had someone else start my car for me daily just to make sure if I did need it, it wouldn’t blow up on me. Then I had to take her to her doctor’s appointment.”

“She got hurt despite what you did to protect her?
I tell you, that’s what I mean. I’m putting her in a padded room and leaving her there until she’s in her thirties. More if I have to. Christ, what will I do when she starts to date?” Quentin heard Blair breathing hard as he continued. “Quentin, I can’t do this.”

“Of course you can.
And she wasn’t sick. It was her appointment set up by her mom. Anyway, I couldn’t convince the doctor to come to my house. Then I got to thinking I didn’t want him in my house. By the time I made it to the appointment, I was a mess. And Angie knew it. She was screaming her head off, and nothing I could do would help her. But the nurse knew what to do. Scooped her right up out of my arms and patted her bottom and rocked her.” Quentin smiled at the memory. “She didn’t hurt her or try to take her from me. She simply soothed her, something I couldn’t do because I was freaking out. You can’t protect them from everything. And you shouldn’t. Angie is a brave, smart little girl because she’s been in the world. You’ll just have to tell them the truth when you can and hope to Christ when the time comes, they’ll know what to do.”

“Like she did at the school.”
Quentin told him yes. “And what if someone—?”

“Blair, my man, there is always going to be a
‘what if.’ No matter what you do to try to keep them in a perfect world, you’re so not going to be able to do it. The world? It’s just not perfect.”

They talked for a few more minutes
. Then they ended the call. Quentin was going out the door when the phone rang again. This time he answered it. He felt his skin tighten on his body when the voice at the other end spoke.

“I have your daughter. I have a whole school of little kiddies.
Did you know that their blood is the finest of wines to us? Oh, and your fucking guard is dead. Did you really think that he’d stop me?” Quentin reached for Blair as soon as the man spoke again. “The kiddies are all going to die if you don’t bring me that fucking cunt Jade. I want her. Now, you mother fucker.”

“Who is this and how do I know you have my daughter?” His heart stopped beating for several seconds when he heard her scream for him.
“Tell me where you are, because when I get there, I’m going to fucking kill you.”

The laugh
ter only pissed him off more. Quentin told Blair word for word what the vampire was saying. Blair told him he was on his way to his house.

“I’m at the little school.
Whoever you hired to ward this place should have known that a public place isn’t going to keep me out. And now….” Another scream…this one sounded painful rather than terrified. “And now, I have so many playmates that I just don’t know where to start. Be here in one hour or so help me I’ll kill a child every ten seconds. And I will, too, starting with your pretty little girl.”

The phone went dead
, but before he put the handset in the cradle, Sloan was standing there in front of him. Quentin told him everything that the vamp said, and then told him what he was going to do once he got him.

“I’m going to make him pay for this.
He’s killed off my entire family and he’s fucking not going to hurt my child.” Sloan nodded. “I have to tell Jade. I have to…. I can’t tell her on the phone.”

Sloan disappeared and returned seconds later
with Jade in his arms. She had been in the process of pulling off her coat apparently, and stumbled when he released her. Jade turned on Sloan so quickly that she’d hit him twice before anyone could stop her.

“Jade, Kent has Angie.” She froze and turned to him slowly.
“He just called me. Sloan brought you here so that I could tell you in person. I didn’t…I couldn’t…oh Christ, honey, he hurt her. She screamed and I know he hurt her.”

He pulled her into his arms and held her as he sobbed.
He couldn’t lose her. She was his world and he wanted her there. When she pulled back from him, he looked at her as she started barking orders. He was both impressed and terrified. Christ, he loved her.

“Get over to the school and see what they have in the way of security.”
Blair nodded to her as she caught him as soon as he walked in the door. She turned to Sapphire. “Contact Emerald and find out which room he has them in, and then find us the plans to the school. We can work better if we’re not blind.”

He had a computer brought to the dining room where they were all assembled and brought up the cameras.
Two had been destroyed, and all the others were static but one. The one where the children were being held was working just fine. Angie was sitting with seventeen little kids, and they could see Kent pacing back and forth with a small boy in his arms. He did not look happy.

“Emerald and five teachers are being held in the closet.
He’s done something to the doors and she can’t get them opened. They’re here.” Sapphire pointed to the screen where there was no picture feed. “She said that other than one of them being bitten, they’re all fine. But he’s threatened them.”

“Threatening them and hurting them are two different things right now.”
Quentin agreed, but he was no less terrified for the people there, and he was sure Jade was as well. When she turned to him, he stood up from the table and waited. “I have to go in.”

“No
, you’re not. He wants you, and the last thing I’m going to do is put you in a place where he’ll have all my family.” She shook her head. “I’m serious, Jade. I don’t want you going in there.”

“I’m not going alone.”
He looked around the room then back at her as she smiled. “You’re going in, too. As a big, bad animal. Your choice, too. I’m sure he’ll be surprised as hell about that, and more so since I’m not the cowering fool I once was. I’m not taking his fucking shit again.”

“You think we can take him?”
Quentin liked the idea that they’d be going together. He had a feeling that he’d not be able to stop her anyway, no matter how much he wanted to. But if he was with her, then he’d stand a fighting chance of keeping her safe.

“Oh
, I know we can. Once he gets a good look at what the fuck we are, he’ll surrender. And if not?” She shrugged. “Then we end his fucking ass.”

Quentin liked this plan very much.
So much so that he started barking his own orders. By the time he made a call to the school and talked with Ballard again to set up the exchange, he was as confident as he’d ever been in any meeting in his entire career.

Chapter 15

Angie watched the big man walk back and forth.
He was very mad, and she almost smiled at that. He was mad because her daddy had told him that they were coming, but if one of them was hurt, he was going to kill him. The big vampire had told them how stupid her daddy was, and she wanted to stand up and punch him in the nose. But Lilly, the little girl sitting next to her, said to be still and not make him see them.

She knew what she meant.
They were all being quiet now that he’d taken Mike. He’d been crying like a little baby, and the man had picked him up and almost shook him to death. He was quiet now, but they could see that he wasn’t dead. He looked at them every time he passed them. Angie felt sorry for the boy. He’d peed in his pants, and she’d just die if she did that.

“Which one of you fucking brats is Angie Witt?”
She started to stand up when someone behind her pushed her back down. “You heard me. Who is the little bitch?”

“I am.”
Lilly stood up and grabbed her hand as she stood there. “I’m Angie Witt. And I want my daddy.”

Before the man could come at her
, which was what Angie was sure he was going to do, a girl behind her stood up, too. “I’m Angie Witt. And I want my daddy.”

Three more girls stood up and said the same thing.
When Lilly squeezed her hand, Angie stood up and said that she was Angie and she wanted her daddy as well. When all the girls were standing there, he looked at them all and growled. Angie wanted to laugh. She’d been growled at before, and he wasn’t very good at it.

“You’ll stop
lying to me and tell me who the real one is. I’m not fucking around here. Who is the Witt girl?” He waited, tapping his foot as if he expected them to do what he wanted. “I’ll start killing you all off if I don’t get the answer I want.”

“We gave it to you.”
She looked at the others, then back at him as she continued. “You can’t just ask for something and then when you get the answer, just want us to do something else. It’s not fair. Why don’t you go away?”

He dropped Mike and came toward her
, but she wasn’t afraid. She put up her fists like she saw on television and hit him in the nose when he was close. He backed away, but she didn’t put her hands down.

“Why
, you little bitch!” Everyone in the room stood up then and milled around her. Angie felt like that woman Joan of Arc with her troops behind her. “I should simply kill you all.”

“You try
, and I’ll hit you again.” He stared at her for several seconds. Angie wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but his eyes turned really red, like the crayon she’d been using before he came in. “I’m not afraid of you. None of us are.”

“You’re going to pay for that.”
When he reached for her, she dodged but not nearly quickly enough. His hand touched her face, and she felt the sting of it all the way to her toes. When he tried to get her again, she moved faster. Because, despite what she’d told him, she was now very afraid. But then something happened and the door behind her exploded.

“Get the fuck away from my daughter.”
Angie wanted to see who Jade was talking about, but a giant wolf came into the room. Then a big bear and a panther. She took a step back but held her ground when the man looked at her again.

“Your daughter? You didn’t have any children yet
, Jade. Not when I knew you. And this kid couldn’t possibly be yours. She had a back bone, something you could only dream of having.” The man glanced at her, then back at Jade. “You should only hope to be like her.”

“You think so?”
Jade laughed, then put her hand out. Angie went to her without thought to the man. “This is my daughter, Angela Witt. And hurting her just signed your death certificate.”

The man reached
for her again, but Jade was quicker this time and shoved her behind her. Jade stood up to the man in a way that made her look a hundred feet tall, Angie thought, and she knew that she’d love her forever and ever. And when someone picked her up and took her down the hall, she screamed until she realized it was Sloan.

“It’s okay
, baby. I got you. Your new mother is really something bad-assed, isn’t she?” Angie nodded and smiled at him. “That’s my girl. Can you show me where the others are? I want to save your aunt and the other teachers.”

Angie took him to the room that held the five teachers. There
was a body lying on the floor, but Sloan told her not to look. When he finally pulled the door off the wall, she stood back while the others came out. Emerald grabbed her in a big hug and held her as she cried.

“I’m okay
, Aunt Emerald. I swear. He only cut me a little bit.” Emerald nodded but didn’t stop squeezing her. It was okay as far as Angie was concerned. She kind of needed the hug anyway. When they were helped out the door and into the parking lot, Angie was surprised to see so many people. Annabelle, her new grandma, pulled her to her and held her and Emerald while she sobbed. Angie decided it was pretty wonderful to have a really nice family.

When the guy from the
ambulance told her that her mom or dad would have to fix her wound, she didn’t correct him. From now on, she had a mommy and a daddy, and she was going to call Jade that as soon as she came out. Sitting as quietly as she could, she thought of the other kids. When Ruby came to her and held her hand, Angie laid her head on her shoulder.

“Will
Mom and Dad be okay?” Ruby laughed. “I don’t want them to be hurt. I just got a mom, and I want to call her that.”

“She’ll be fine. They both will. They’ll take care that this man
doesn’t hurt anyone again. Especially not you. They love you very much.” She looked at the wound. “Do you know why the medic can’t stitch up your wounds?” Angie shook her head. “Because a vampire scratched you. And one of them will have to lick it clean first. The reason one of us can’t do it is because we’d have your blood and that would mean that we would be a part of you. Does that make sense?”

“You
mean you can find me.” Ruby nodded. “My uncle Roger told me that, too, when he licked me. He said that he’d be able to find me no matter what. I was afraid for him to find me, but not you guys. You kind of like me, right?”

“Oh honey, we love you very much.
” Angie watched the school with the others. But her eyes kept closing, and she was having a hard time staying awake. When Ruby shifted on the bed and laid Angie’s head on her lap, Angie finally fell asleep. Her parents would make sure things were all right. She was sure of it.

~~~

Jade watched the other children as they began to sit. None of them were hurt, but she’d bet her last dollar that they were terrified. The little boy that had been lying so still when they entered had been pulled into the tight little group and was now watching them with terror-filled eyes. She wanted to hug them all to her.

“You’re going to stay here
, and I’ll let the others go.” Kent crossed his arms over his chest as if she’d do just what he said. “Now, Jade. You know how much I hate to be disobeyed.”

Quentin roared at him and took a step forward. His panther was beautiful
, but she was afraid that he was no match for the big vamp. When Kent laughed, Blair moved forward, too, but he didn’t make a sound. Out of the corner of her eye, Jade saw Sloan appear in the room behind the children. He touched the first child and disappeared with him. It was working.

“I’m not going to do anything at all with you
, Kent. I’m so over your ass, it’s not even funny anymore. And as of yesterday, all that money you took from me is now back where it belongs. The credit card companies are looking for you, by the way.” He snorted at her. “What you did is considered grand larceny. That’s a long prison time. And there is no dark place for you to hide once they get you. Of course, you’ll never make it to trial, but I thought you should know.”

Three more children disappeared.
And when Sloan winked at her, she noticed another man with him who was now helping. It was hard on them, she was sure. The sun had been up for nearly five hours by then. But soon there was only two left, and Sloan was holding them both when he nodded at her. Then he was gone.

“
You’re going to pay for this. You know that, right?” She noticed that he moved away from the windows again, and realized he must be getting to the point that he could no longer stand the sun. “You’re going to have to find shelter soon. How are you going to do that with us in your way?”

“Because you’ll move or I’ll kill the brats. And I know what a softy you are when it comes to children.
You got all teary when I nearly killed that fucking brat next door. Remember him? All he did was cry and whine about everything. I should have ended his life even though you said no.” She laughed at him, and Jade could see that it startled him. “You think that I won’t do it?”

“Do what to
whom?” She waved her hand around the room. “You’re going to kill the brats? How do you plan to do that?”

“By breaking each of their skinny little necks while you watch.”
He took another step from the window before he continued. “Then I’m going to rip your fucking throat out while I fuck you.”

Quentin snarled at him
, but Kent only laughed. She knew that the moment he turned and realized he no longer had a bargaining chip, he was going to attack. Jade only hoped that when he did, they were all ready. She didn’t want anyone hurt. Not unless it was Kent.

“Come with me now, Jade
, and I’ll let all these people live. I have no qualms with any of them. It’s you I want, and I will have you. It’s only a matter of time, and we both know it. Bringing your big bad alpha here. These other animals are all for show, but they will die unless you cooperate with me.” He put out his hand as if she’d simply take it. “Come on. It’s the way things need to be.”

“No.”
He laughed slightly at her refusal. “Never again will you treat me or anyone else like you did me. You’re a monster, plain and simple.”

“So their deaths will be on your head.”
He turned then and stood looking at the empty space behind him for several seconds before he looked over his shoulder at her. The smile he had on his face was friendly. His fangs showed, long and dark with stain, and she saw him morph into something that…something that she had no idea of until he was finished.

He really and truly was a monster.
And what he’d shifted to was bigger than she’d imagined him to be able to be. Claws, long and sharp, grew from his fingers until they were nearly twice the length of his arm. His feet burst from his shoes to look the same as his hands. Dark nails erupted from the ends of his toes that were stained with dried blood and filth. She took a step back when his back seemed to move until there were wings, wide and black, spread wide in the small room. When he turned, his face, too, had morphed into something that no longer looked like a man, but a collection of all animals each fighting for space. Eyes stared back at her, yellowed with evil. Jade was suddenly terrified beyond anything she’d ever encountered.

“You will do as I say.”
Kent’s voice thundered across the room to her, blowing her hair from her face. The heat and the putrid smell of his breath nearly took her breath away. “You’ll do it now.”

“No.”
Her voice was strong, and she lifted her chin. “You aren’t anything to me. I will not obey you ever again.”

When he lunged at her
, she moved. Her plan was to shift and attack, but she was tossed aside, and her back hit the wall behind her. She thought it was Kent who’d hit her, but when she tried to sit up, she saw that Quentin had done it. And now he was tearing at Kent’s throat. Before she could move to pull him away, Sloan had her around the waist and was holding her back.

“He has to do this. If not for you
, then for his family.” She looked Sloan in the eyes. “You know that I would never let him be hurt, but he will win at this. I swear to you, Quentin will kill this beast.”

Quentin was tossed away
, and Kent roared. As soon as Quentin was on his feet, he lunged at the beast as he shifted from panther to wolf. His wounds were gone, the bleeding stopped. And he attacked more viciously, tearing at the beast’s throat as his clawed feet tore at his soft belly. Each time he was thrown away, Quentin came back stronger, shifting between the two of his own beasts to keep him healed and strong.

Kent had no such help.
His throat was bloodied, and his open wounds sprayed blood all over the room. His left arm hung lank, and his right was almost as useless. He was also burning from the sun, as Quentin kept knocking him back into it faster than he could heal. And he was growing weaker. Every time he tried to throw Quentin off, it was with less power, less of a punch. Quentin was winning, but it wasn’t over yet.

Kent seemed to know he was beaten.
He began making more attempts at killing Quentin rather than stopping him from hurting him. He was grabbing things up, pencils and other items within his reach, to stab into Quentin. For the most part, he dodged them, but some he could not. Soon it was obvious that both men were at their end, but still Sloan held her. When Quentin dropped back and shook his head, his body heaved with exhaustion and loss of blood. When Kent tried to attack again, Jade had had enough and shoved Sloan away and shifted in mid-leap, going straight for the beast’s throat.