Page 23 of Jake

“You get my point. I can fight. This I can do. But the wolves, I cannot make them tell me anything, and then there is Kasdeya. Her craft is strong. She’s grown powerful over the years. To go against her alone? Perhaps I will win. But she holds many secrets. I need an ally and so do you.”

“And in the end, we are doing all this to save some glow chick?”

“As I’ve said, I cannot disclose everything to you now. Kai must choose to trust you. If her gift falls into the wrong hands, packs across the country will be at risk.”

“If this is true, why not tell Logan?”

“Because he is Alpha of Acadian wolves. You, however, are the Alpha of Anzober Wolves.” Quintus held a palm up, silencing the expected protest. “I felt your strength in New York, as did Jax. You may not have accepted your destiny, but you soon won’t be able to deny it. Your beast rises.”

Jake turned his gaze to the Mississippi, the sun reflecting off its surface. New Orleans had always been his home, yet his wolf had changed. No longer would it be satisfied to be counted equal within the pack. It sought to lead, and would roam to find its own fate.

“Your connection with Kai, I cannot be certain, but she is drawn to you for other reasons. Your magick complements hers.”

Jake’s focus snapped back to Quintus, quickly inferring his meaning. “Hold up there. If you’re saying what I think you’re trying to say…no. She’s not my mate. I don’t know what the hell she is but she’s not a wolf.”

“I’m not saying that. I’m only saying you may have a connection. There are many things we cannot explain. It is too soon to tell,” Quintus countered.

“It’s simple. Wolves only mate with wolves, and Kai isn’t lupine. We may have some cosmic tie through the universe but it’s no different than you and me. And hell, we aren’t even friends.”

“Don’t discount the possibility. We just shared a meal. Who knows what else we shall share?” Quintus laughed.

“You’re as full of secrets as Kai is. When the two of you start sharing with me, then we’ll talk about being friends.”

“Speaking of which, the house is quiet. Where is she?” Quintus asked.

Jake closed his eyes, panic rising in his chest. He’d heard the shower running when he’d made the coffee, and noted the creaking above him while they’d talked. Yet the distinctive sound of silence filled the room, and as he concentrated, reaching for her as if she were a wolf, he knew for certain she’d disappeared.

“She’s gone.” Jake’s eyes flew wide open and locked on the vampire. “How the hell did she get out of here?”

Quintus smiled and shook his head. “The same way she got from California to New Orleans. She’s testing her abilities.”

“Why the hell did she leave? I told her I’d help her.” Jake slammed his palms onto the kitchen table, and stood. He strode over to the sliding patio doors and pressed his hands to the glass. Ilsbeth. “The witch. Kai heard us talking. I told her we weren’t going.”

“She’s strong. Determined.”

“She’s got a death wish. Look Quintus, I know you’ve been out of things for a while. I heard as much from Jax. But I’m tellin’ ya, Ilsbeth is not to be messed with.”

Quintus pressed onto his feet and approached Jake. “She’s in New Orleans. Where would Kai go first?”

“Well, considering she had nothing to wear, who the hell knows? But given this is New Orleans, depending where she is, no one may pay her any mind.” Frustrated, he sighed. He’d pushed her this morning, denying her sex. He’d sensed her desire. It had taken everything for him to walk away from her. “Jesus Christ. You know she could be anywhere.”

“Where’s the witch?”

“Leo said something about Samantha taking care of her but there’s no way Luca would have her at his place. No way. Not with the new baby. Ilsbeth used to have a mansion in the Garden District, but I heard they’d renovated it after things went to shit in New York. The place…” Jake recalled searching her home with Jax and Katrina. It had been a labyrinth of magick and secret passageways. “Let me call Sam and Luca. See if they know where she’s at. I doubt Logan even knows, because none of us wanted anything to do with her.”

“Jake,” Quintus said, stroking his beard. His eyes went to the wolf.

“Yeah?”

“Kai’s going to need you. What she did today? Materializing, it’s only the beginning. Like a caterpillar, she will morph. It may be that her spell is broken. Or perhaps the energy of this city has called to her, but her abilities will grow. She will need your guidance.”

“You keep talkin’ like that but again, she’s not a wolf.” Jake reached for his cell phone and slid a finger across the glass.

“She will reveal herself to you. She’s a chosen creature. Fierce yet fragile. One in need of a master.”

“Did you ever hear the expression, ‘less is more’? Ya see, that right there. This ‘chosen creature’ bullshit. That’s where you lose me. Now maybe you weren’t born one but even y’all vamps are made. Shifters are bred. Witches are born, with rare exceptions like Sam.”

“The Goddess, she chooses. You will see, Alpha.” Quint gave a knowing smile, but didn’t elaborate.

Jake shook his head, frustrated with the vampire’s enigmatic words. He wasn’t convinced Kai would ever tell him what she was, and although he didn’t necessarily trust Quintus, the vampire had proven himself to be an ally in the past. Kai would have to learn to trust him if he was going to help her. Submission was instinctive to most wolves yet she had no such heritage. His wolf growled, asserting his dominance, and Jake suspected he’d enjoy making her submit.