CHAPTER NINETEEN
JES
Jes stretched between her rose-colored sheets. She’d been having the oddest dream, and it took her a moment to orient herself to her room. Being in several places, the last few days, tended to do that to her. Her eyes adjusted to the dim light, and she found him sitting in a chair, watching her. Something told her this time was different. This time, he was there because he was afraid for her.
“What time is it?”
“About 5:00 a.m.,” he said above a whisper.
“Do you ever sleep?”
“I average about four hours most nights.”
She sat part-way, leaning on one elbow, peering at him. “How on Earth do you survive on four hours of sleep?”
He shrugged. “It’s enough.”
She sat all the way up now, aware his hot gaze followed her as she did so. It made her blood catch fire, and her breath came out in a whoosh from the force of it. She quickly changed the direction of her wayward thoughts.
“You’re afraid for me,” she accused him.
“You’re afraid of me.” She saw the white of his teeth, knew he was grinning at her lecherously. She glared at him and he sobered.
“You’re my mate, Jes,” he said softly.
Her lips compressed in a line. She didn’t trust herself to speak, but it didn’t matter. He already knew her every thought.
He leaned forward in his chair, and she held a hand to stave him off. “I need time, Justice.”
He nodded, leaning back in his chair. This he knew. They couldn’t have any kind of future, if she thought of him as a murderer.
“Why are you so afraid for me?” Her tone dared him to deny that.
He sat there, quietly.
“Don’t sit there and think of a way to answer me. I deserve to know the truth, especially if I’m in danger. Don’t you think?”
He nodded. “Give me a sec, Jes.”
She bent her knees and wrapped her arms around them in an instinctively protective gesture. “Please, Justice. Don’t try to sugarcoat it. I’m a cop. I can take it.”
“Okay,” he leaned back further in the overstuffed chair, getting comfortable.
The gesture told her this was going to take a while, and he nodded at the thought.
“You really have got to stop doing that.”
He gave a half-smile. “No, Jes. Not with you. It’s impossible. You think it, and it’s there in my head, as surely as if it were my own thought. With others, I have to work for it.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. It sounded as if she’d never get him to stop reading her mind.
He only nodded. “Okay, where to begin?” He was silent for a long moment, while she waited with more than a little trepidation. She somehow knew he was about to fill in a lot of the missing puzzle pieces for her.
“You already know some of this—maybe much of this. But stay with me for a moment. I need to lay some groundwork for what I’m about to tell you.” He paused again for a long moment—clearly trying to figure out how to tell her this. “Some humans,” he began, “are wise enough to know they’re not alone. And some even want to believe, want to know what is out there. Few of these humans believe in us. But many more believe in the Vampires, however misaligned the Crow People are from the crossing of these legends. There is a distinct difference between their peoples and the Vampire myths. They’ve become blended over the centuries. These come from two different things. One is a race—the other a broken spirit—a spirit who walks the earth at night.”
Jes nodded, she did know this, but she didn’t want to interrupt—she was too eager to hear the parts she didn’t know.
“Well, they have several factions, and a hierarchy—much like ours. Only—unlike ours, some of those factions are pretty, ummm….”
“Powerful….” She whispered.
He nodded. “Much too powerful since some of them don’t agree with their leaders—much less want to listen to, or follow, those leaders. And that makes it much more difficult to maintain an Alliance with our people.”
Jes frowned. She knew this too—but she hadn’t realized how serious it was.
“Your—grandparents come from an elite faction of our people. They are—were powerful enough to keep you safe—even when several of the rogue groups hunted our parents.”
Jes gasped. He held a hand to stave off the litany of frustrated—terrified words she wanted to spill.
“Yes, Jes, these factions of the Crow People have hunted my parents—and us. Only through the Alliance, and the leaders—and those leaders agreeing to do all in their power to protect you—were you kept out of it. My sisters, and I had to disappear.”
Jes was horrified at the implications. “Why didn’t you say so?”
His eyes darkened. He leaned forward in the overstuffed chair. “You were too happy calling me murderer.”
“You murdered humans,” she said, upset now.
He sat back in the chair, mute.
She didn’t like the implications of that, either. But she could find no way around that. He’d killed humans. They were humans. Her mind splintered with the possibilities. But he read her mind. So, she worked to turn off the faucet of police-trained questions, wracking her brain.
“Okay, have it your way, Jes.” He sat there quietly. After a moment—he went on.
“Our people have an uneasy alliance with the elite Crows for centuries. We are here to protect the humans….” He bit this part out, his eyes narrowing on her, defying her to start her litany of judgments.
She kept still, though it was not an easy task.
“But here was a race with several rogue factions who had great difficulty controlling the even-further-rogue members of its cast—and those members sometimes feed on humans.” His face twisted at the thought.
She didn’t know what to make of his obvious disgust. How could a…? She put a lid on that thought. She looked to find him watching her intently and swallowed under his gaze. She rested her face against her arms, still wrapped around her knees, and gazed back at him. Waiting.
“These factions of Vamps are powerful,” he finally went on. “One you don’t want to trifle with. And they are not ones you would want for your enemy. But they are…nevertheless…rogue.”
He was quiet for a long moment, and she was afraid he’d stop there, but she remained silent and was rewarded after a moment when he did continue.
“There is a prophecy amongst both of our races—of an elite member of the Jaguar People—one who resembles our ancestors’ prince beings, one who has violet-white, almost-translucent skin—one who has violet eyes—one like the member of the army—Lucius. And for a while the people thought Lucius was him—although he clearly told them he wasn’t. This one was to bring balance to both peoples. And the people have looked for him for a long, long time.”
She sat straight now, excited, and nodded. She’d heard the story. Did he know who this one was?
He nodded. “I do know who he is. And I have been trained since birth for the moment he’d step forward and make himself known. At least—I was being trained—as were my sisters—up until the moment everything began falling apart for my family.” His lips curled around these last words, his gaze taking on a faraway look. “Our parents disappeared emotionally—long before they disappeared physically, as I have told you. And I’ve hell trying to figure out why.”
He looked at her now. “There were some among our people—who didn’t agree this one should ever step forward, or that these two should never find any peace. Several among these groups lost loved ones to the rogue clans of the Crow People. They see the entire race as their mortal enemies. They don’t want peace. They want only war!”
She was startled by the vehemence of his words. Was he one who wanted war with them?
“No,” his tone gentled now. “But I do understand them. However, these ones are shortsighted. First, you cannot go to war with an entire race, for the actions of a few, who lie outside the body of these people. The majo
rity are not only our allies—but our friends. Many are like brothers to us.”
He took a deep breath. “The second reason is that kind of war would nearly annihilate both of our tribes. It would be foolish beyond measure. To even entertain such a notion would be beyond that, and I cannot understand what they could be thinking. It’s the mark of the insane to entertain the notion they’re infallible enough to take on an entire Vampire race—and win! Yes. We’re a powerful people. But so are they.” He paused, then said, “This war would annihilate us both.”
“Without a doubt!” Jes seconded. “I can’t imagine…who would think this suicidal move would be smart?” she cried out, matching his vehemence. “Do you know who they are? They must be stopped before they succeed with such foolishness!”
He sat back into the plushness of his chair—clearly pleased to hear her answer.
She frowned. “Did you think I’d agree with such nonsense? Going to war with the entire Crow race would be suicide for both of our races! Why would you ever think I’d back such ridiculousness?” She was appalled—and hurt. How could he think that? Why would he think that?
He winced. “Jes,” he said. His tone was gentle—too gentle.
She was strangling, wanting him to go on—but suddenly afraid to hear the answer.
“Your—father leads this rebellion…,” he was choking on the end of that, as if he could barely get the words out.
She wasn’t fully dressed, but she didn’t care. She bolted out of the bed and stood over him. “You lie! I should kill you for such a lie.”
The gentle look in his steady gaze told her the truth. And he was up, gathering her into his arms, smoothing her hair—whispering to her—in the next instant. “I wish I did…. Goddess, Jes, I wish I did….”
She was sobbing. She couldn’t breathe through the sobs. She felt as if she was suffocating. It couldn’t be true. Her father would never do that.
Please don’t let it be true.
It was a long time before she’d calmed enough to think, at all. He lowered them both to her bed, and lay there holding her, whispering how sorry he was she had to know this.
“Why did I have to know?” she finally whispered. “I mean, I would want to know. I must know the truth. But something tells me you would have rather I never know that.”
He tucked her hair behind her ear, running a finger down her face. “I had no choice. If you didn’t know…you wouldn’t know the source of the danger you’re in now…or how difficult it will be to—keep them from getting to you….”
The hairs stood on the nape of her neck. “But…wouldn’t the rogue Crows be on the same side as my father? Wouldn’t they want to destroy the Alliance?”
“Yes, some of them are. Some of them work closely with your father…but…”
“Some do not…,” she finished for him.
He nodded and got up from the bed. She knew why. Her body was on fire. Here she was—shocked to the core with grief—and her body was on fire….
“Jes,” he half-growled, with his back to her.
“Sorry,” she flushed. “I need to know why I’m in so much danger,” she said, trying to steer them to safer ground.
Now, is not the time, she told herself sternly—and heard his groan under his breath.
He sat back in his chair, a much safer distance from her. She could see he struggled, which was something, given his ability to shut out all the emotions from his face.
“Some of them don’t want a war—much as they don’t agree with, or even follow, the elite elders of their race,” he agreed with her earlier statement. “Some of them know—as clearly as the rest of us—that such a war could be the genocide of both of our races. And some of these rogue beings are dangerous enough to squash all that stands in the way, of anything dangerous to their people. These factions will annihilate your father if they ever get their hands on him—and you know you’ve made yourself visible to them.”
She scrambled to sit. “Me? How on earth did I do that?”
“By visiting that gangster’s house!”
“What?” She nearly came off the bed with this “What does an old gangbanger have to do with this?”
“I have reason to believe it was your father, who sent them back, in spades, for me—all those years, ago.”
She was back to strangling. “No!”
But he wasn’t finished. “And that…,” he stumbled.
“What?” she did come off the bed this time—for the second time that night—and for the second time—the news nearly drove her to her knees.
“I think your mother tried to stop him….”
She screamed at this. She screamed because she knew it was true, memories of her parents fighting, flooding though.
Justice kept Jes from hitting the floor, for the second time that night. He laid them both back on the bed—soothing her. It was too much information. He hadn’t wanted to give her any of this information—hadn’t wanted her to ever know, but there wasn’t a choice. She was in too much danger.
But it was too much information for her to take in, all at once.
He watched the scenes playing through her head, like a movie, as her thoughts went from one memory to the next. She remembered her parents—fighting. Only, this time, she heard the words.
Her mother was telling her father he was a traitor about something. She couldn’t imagine why her quiet, loving mother would ever call her father a traitor.
He was telling her she didn’t know what she was talking about. What could she possibly know about the politics of their people? What could she possibly know of what went on between their two races? He was telling her she was as foolish as all the others—that if they had their way, they’d give up their power, into the hands of a silly prophecy.
She screamed at him, telling him he betrayed her family—betrayed their friends—betrayed his own best friend.
But he didn’t care. Her loving father didn’t care. She hadn’t understood what the implications of their words meant. She hadn’t even understood what they meant. And when her parents disappeared—she’d buried all her memories.
She cried silent tears of grief. Everything she had believed, was an illusion. Her quiet idyllic childhood was an illusion. Her loving parents were an illusion.
She wanted to escape—and did so—into sleep.
The knowledge that everything, she thought she’d known, had been a lie sat in the depths of her being—affecting her abilities to stay centered—perhaps even to stay sane.
Tomorrow she’d accept that her life, as she knew it, was forever—and irrevocably—changed. Tonight—she slept.
Want to read more?
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You can find Mira and Micah in
Jaguar Witch—Doorway of the Triquetra
Book One
Check back for Jaguar Witch
Book Two of Children of Atlantis
Due out in 2017
You can also find Mira in the
Daughters of the Circle
As a mentor for Alli in Fire Sprite, Realm of the Elemental Witch
And with the Sisters of Three in
The Fallen One, Sons of the Dark Mother
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The next Book in this Series. Book TWO in this Jaguar Witch Series: Mira’s Magick will be out this winter. Follow my newsletters is find out how this book is progressing and my release dates, previews and giveaways:)
Short blurb Mira’s Magick:
Mira finds out she has sisters, and not any sisters—the Sisters of Three!
Don’t forget Mira is also in
SISTER-SERIES OF JAGUAR WITCH
IN ORDER OF WRITINGS
SONS OF THE DARK MOTHER
NOVELLAS
THE FALLEN ONE
VOLUME I
VOLUME II
REALM OF THE ELEMENTAL WITCH
FIRE SPRITE
BOOK ONE
DAUGHTERS OF THE CIRCLE:
SHADOWS IN RAVENWOOD
BOOK ONE
BONUS SHORT-STORY
MORGAN’S WAND
Previews at end of this book
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lenora grew up in Montana and Alaska, and currently lives in the central US. She holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Northern Colorado, with a minor in writing, and is a student of the Shaman path. She lives her dream, daily, as a writer. She is also the mother of four grown children, inherited four more when they each took mates and has several beautiful grandchildren.
ALSO BY LENORE WOLFE
HISTORICAL WESTERN ROMANCE
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