Kade ground his teeth. The council did not care if the women lived or died. Only that their secret be maintained. But they had also made another thing crystal clear. Under no circumstances would Braden be allowed to obtain the Amp Cryptid. “No circumstances” was code for authorization to use lethal force.
At one time, Kade would have gritted his teeth and done it. Blindly followed his orders. But things had changed.
The directive had not come from the council as a whole, but only from his direct contact. In fact, he’d be surprised if the entire council even knew about Braden’s little mating project. Because the only explanation for the problems the Sabres were facing was that the Dires now had council influence.
His efforts to recruit help had shown him the truth. This wasn’t a lone Dire on a mission for a mate. This problem with infecting unwilling humans was far more widespread than the council was willing, or able, to admit.
As a result, Kade’s faith in the council was no longer unshakable. There was no way he was taking out Jessie, just because she was a threat if Braden got his hands on her. For one thing, she was Cryptid, not human. And for another—
He liked her. Too much.
Time he admitted it and dealt with it. The dreams may not be a shared experience, but they still meant something to him. This woman had gotten under his skin. He hadn’t felt like this since—
Well, since he’d first met his true mate, Isa. But that had been fated. There was only one true mate. And this was? He didn’t know what it was. All he knew was that he would try his damnedest to save her from that Dire bastard.
And if he couldn’t?
He’d cross that bridge when he got there.
Kade checked his watch. Almost time to relieve Neil. Jessie should be safe in the yard. There were three Sabres constantly circling the property. It wouldn’t be enough, if Braden came for them. The Dire had too many under his control. Kade would need more than teeth and claws to stop them. He’d need Zach, and his crazy Empath power.
Just thinking about the man made Kade’s blood boil. He was used to solving issues physically. It rankled him to have Jessie’s fate in the hands of—what? A Cryptid, maybe. But Zach’s ability wasn’t something Kade easily respected. Making your enemy cower might be useful. But unless you made them bleed, they’d live to come back at you.
And considering the numbers that Braden had at his disposal, that was all kinds of bad.
22
Zach lay on his bed.
He’d already evicted Buffy. Be damned if he was going to have Cara’s Familiar hanging out here. Watching him. A man needed some privacy after all.
Poor Spike was a fractured ghost of his usual self. The dog was having a hard time accepting the Weres into his current reality. Cara had spent some time with him, and he seemed a little more resigned to the situation.
The pulse ofsurprise,followed bydismay,made Zach sit up in the bed. Because it came from Jessie. What was going on? She was in the house. Surrounded by those that were charged with keeping her safe.
He listened, but it seemed all quiet. No Dires attacking, then. Jessie had been going to talk to Laura. Perhaps it wasn’t going well? Thesurprisedidn’t last long, but thedismaycarried on. Eventually it faded—had she moved farther away?
Curious and a little worried, he got off the bed and headed down the stairs. Spike bravely trailed after him. He followed the feelings not to the kitchen, or the back porch, but along the hall and out the front door.
Jessie was with the horses.
It shocked him. He hadn’t thought to warn her about Storm. Now, as he strode across the yard, he saw that Jessie wasn’t just near the corral. She wasinsideit.
Zach’s worry turned to shock as he approached. Tucker had stirred up enough courage to leave the back fence and bury his head in the hay. But Jessie wasn’t with him. She was standing with Storm. And Zach couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Jessie was brushing the mare. Huge tufts of leftover winter hair were coming loose and floating to the ground.
Zach stopped at the gate. Willow ambled over from her clover patch to butt him with her head.
“Hope you don’t mind,” Jessie said. “I used to take riding lessons when I was younger. I’d forgotten how much I missed this.”
Storm was actually leaning into the brush strokes. “I don’t mind,” he said. “It’s just that I’ve barely touched that mare.”
Jessie paused in her brushing to frown at him. “You haven’t had much time, I guess, with everything that’s going on.”
“Not what I meant. I meant she’s barely let me touch her.”
She stared at him. Then at the brush. And at the horse.
