River Cast: Part Two in the Tale of Lunarmorte (20 page)

“
I would
prefer if we discussed this is in private.”

“
Surely we
can all be trusted here.”

The witch pinched her lips
but didn’t dispute it. Instead she sighed and nodded. “Very well. I
want you to stay and help me train an elite force of lykans I’m
working with.”

Lucien felt his gut
twist.

“
Elite
force?” Caia raised an eyebrow.

“
An elite
force. I won’t go into specifics until you agree to aid
me.”

“
How can I
agree to help if I don’t know the specifics?”

Lucien felt himself
growling. “Exactly.”

“
The special
training these lykans will undertake is highly classified. All Caia
needs to know is that I think she has the abilities needed to not
only train them, but to lead them into battle.”

Red washed over his eyes.
“No way!” He ripped out, his chest heaving with anger at the mere
suggestion. For the first time in what felt like forever Caia’s
soft touch wrapped around his wrist, squeezing it reassuringly,
asking him silently to calm down.

Vanne had taken up beside
Marita, glaring at him. Marita herself was not impressed. “May I
remind you to whom you are talking, Mr Líder, and that this
decision will be Caia’s alone. You are not her mate in actuality
after all.”

“
You want me
to head up an elite combat force?”

No, no, no,
no, no, no!
His mind screamed and he knew
Marita must be feeling everything he was. He couldn’t seem to block
or conceal his panic at the thought.

Marita nodded.“You would
be instrumental in bringing this war to a close.”

“
I have to
think about this.”

He hadn’t heard her right,
right?

Wrong.

“
WHAT!” He
blew.

She gazed up at him, her
eyes wide but her shoulders set. He was shuddering with the need to
change, to either run as fast as his wolf legs could take him, or
turn around and rip apart anyone who dared to take her from
him.

“
Lucien, calm
down,” she pleaded quietly. “This is my decision.”

His wolf rumbled through
his clenched teeth, “I can’t believe you would even consider
it.”

“
It’s
important.”

“
Maybe you
can take a few days. Stay a few days more, think about it. Both of
you.” Marita nodded at him, her eyes demanding that he fall in
line.

Fall in line my
ass!

Caia seemed to brighten at
the suggestion. “That’s a good idea.”

His gut suddenly flipped
with a nervous, sick feeling at that smile. He realised the truth;
the truth he hadn’t wanted to face. Caia liked it at the Centre
because she was useful here, worthy, important. She was probably
one of the most powerful beings in the Daylight Coven. Did he
really think the pack would be enough for her?

Shutting her out in
anguish, Lucien turned and marched out of the room, and away from
Caia and her master puppeteers.

14 - Cryptic
Much?

The three trees directly
in front of her were severely injured; their middles pierced with
knives, thick branches and her own little axe. She stood satisfied,
her hands braced on her hips, looking over her handiwork. Then her
eyes drifted downwards and swept her surroundings.

“
Oops.”

“
You know,
when I let Caia practice out here she had the luxury of being able
to clean it up in seconds.”

Jaeden turned towards the
speaker to find Ella leaning against her back porch, her eyes
drinking in the mess Jae had made with her telekinesis.

She threw her a sheepish
look. “Caia will be home soon right? She can fix it?”

Ella sighed but gave her a
smile so she knew she wasn’t really that upset. “Yeah, she can fix
it.”

“
Thanks for
letting me practice out here.”

“
You’re
welcome, hon.” She was suddenly distracted by the stabbed trees at
the edge of the yard. “Wow, you did that?”

Nervously, Jae followed
her direction and walked towards the trees, pulling each implement
out one by one. When she got to her axe, she placed the small
weapon into the belt on her dark jeans. She spun back around,
knowing she would find Ella right behind her. Holding out a bucket,
she gestured for Jae to dump the knives into it for now. Her eyes
drifted down to the axe snuggled against her hip.

“
You’ve
certainly grown up since...” her voice trailed off at the delicate
subject she had almost broached.

Jae grunted and brushed
passed her towards Lucien’s house. It was nearly five and Ryder was
supposed to be picking her up.

“
Jaeden.”

Sighing, she
reluctantly turned around, waiting for the admonition that had yet
to come from anyone in the pack, and yet she knew was bound to
soon. Ella, however, merely strolled slowly towards her, her eyes
warm with a motherly affection. She brushed her hand down Jaeden’s
face lovingly and smiled into her eyes. “I can only imagine how
proud your mother is of you. I know because
I
am so proud of you. You’ve taken
all the horrors you’ve been through and become fierce, strong,
someone to be reckoned with.
I
think... that you are very brave.”

Don’t cry,
don’t cry, don’t cry.

Jaeden laughed at herself,
her throat closing with emotion as she turned away and forced her
tears back inside. “I’m not brave. I’m scared all the freaking
time.”

Silence fell between
them.

Ella sighed. “When Lucien
was a boy - after everything that happened with Rafe and Griffin -
he was so confused and scared. He knew something was terribly
wrong. Anyway, for a while he used to check the house over before
he went to bed; every closet, every nook, every window, every door.
And then he’d get angry because he thought he was being a coward.
Albus took him aside one day and told him that courage was not the
absence of fear, but the ability to walk into unknown territory
despite it.”

“
Didn’t
Mandela say that?”

Ella pursed
her lips at the interruption. “An abridged version, but that’s not
the point. The point is Lucien checked over the house each night,
prepared to take on whatever bad thing he thought was waiting for
him even though he was scared.
That
was what made him brave. And you’re the same,
Jaeden. You of all people have every reason to want to curl up and
hide under your bed... but you don’t. You get up and you ready
yourself for whatever might come your way. As I said... you are
very, very brave.”

“
Or just
crazy.”

Ella laughed and chucked
her under the chin. “Or just crazy. Anyway, is that a car I
hear?”

Jae heard the gravel
spinning under a wheel from the front of the house and her heart
picked up speed. She grinned and nodded. “Ryder.”

Ella grinned back at her.
“It’s a good match. And when you mate we really will be family.
Have you seen Irini and Aidan yet?”

Jae smiled at the memory.
She had caught up with Ryder’s brother and his mate the day before.
The entire encounter had consisted of Aidan ribbing Ryder for
falling prey to the mating when all along he’d bragged about his
bachelor lifestyle. The meeting with Yvana, however, hadn’t gone
too smoothly. Apparently the relationship between sons and mother
was not nearly as good as everyone had believed. It seemed Ryder
and Aidan had taken more of Lucien’s side over the whole Caia thing
than anyone realised. Thus, the dinner Yvana had hosted was stilted
and cold. She was no longer the woman she had once been, and what
little had been left of that woman had disappeared when Caia had
arrived, bringing with her the remembrance of what had happened to
Yvana’s mate.

Throwing
another quick thank you Ella’s way, Jae jogged around the house to
the driveway where Ryder was parked, listening to Nirvana. She
shook her head smiling; from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Nirvana, and
Top Gun
to
The Godfather
, he really
was a mass of amusing contradictions. Unsurprisingly, when she
jumped into the truck, Ryder pulled her over to the driver’s side
for a long, breath stealing kiss. She should be used to his casual
public affection by now, but every time he touched her she still
had to shake herself to remind her that, yeah,
he
was really kissing
her.

“
How was
practice?” He grinned, as they drove away from the
house.

“
Good. My aim
is getting better.”

“
That’s
great! Guess who I bumped into at the diner today.”

“
Hmm... a
member of Pack Errante?”

“
Well take
the fun out of it, why don’t you.”

She smiled teasingly.
“Sorry. Who did you bump into today?”

“
I don’t feel
like telling you now.”

Feeling playful, as he
somehow always managed to make her feel, Jae reached out and slid
her hand slowly up his thigh. “Please tell me.”

He jumped at her touch and
was now throwing her a beseeching look. “I’ll tell you if you
remove your hand from my person.”

Grinning devilishly, her
hand moved closer to the spot that would make him sweat and
suddenly the truck swerved on the road. “Jaeden!”

She laughed and pulled her
hand back. “Sorry.”

He huffed, “Oh, I’m sure
you are.”

“
Goddess,
Ryder, you should be trussed up in a white chemise and a padlock
covering your virtue for all the fuss you’re making.”

He spluttered in
indignation, which only made her laugh harder. “I’m trying to be
honourable here.” He gesticulated wildly. “Having your hands
roaming freely over my particulars sort of makes the task
Herculean!”

A bead of sweat rolled
down the side of his forehead and abruptly she felt bad. “Sorry. I
mean it. I’m sorry.”

Somewhat mollified, he
nodded and turned back to the road, keeping his eyes fixed straight
ahead. “So, do you want to know who I was speaking
with?”

“
Of course.”
She was determined to be good now.

“
Alexa.”

“
Oh. How is
she?”

“
Working for
my mother whilst she goes to community college...”

“
And?” If she
knew Alexa, there was definitely an ‘and’.

He coughed, looking
uncomfortable all of a sudden. “And... a little pissed
off.”

Jaeden grimaced.“What
now?”

“
Me. You.
Mating.”

“
What?” Jae
growled. “Alexa was after Lucien.”

“
Apparently I
forgot to mention that she was a little... interested in me... when
you left.”

An inexplicable jealousy
ripped through her. “Did you sleep with her?”

“
What, are
you nuts?!”

No!
Alexa was the most predatory lykan out there, it
would not have surprised in her in the least. “No, I’m not. Alexa
is attractive and easy. A lethal combination.”

Ryder actually looked
angry at the insinuation. “You know I don’t mess around with our
pack women. The reason I told you is because I wanted to give you a
heads up in case you see her. She’s pissed and she’s always been
vindictive when she’s pissed off.”

“
Oh really, I
hadn’t noticed.”

“
What are you
so mad about?”

“
You! You
didn’t tell me to give me ‘a head’s up’. You told me to make me
jealous.”

He snorted, his mouth
twisted with as much sarcasm as his tone. “That’s crazy. Why would
I want to make you jealous... look how much fun it is.”

Jaeden wasn’t stupid. This
was deliberate. And she knew why. “Reuben. You’re jealous of
Reuben, and you want to inflict a little of that on me. Well, job
accomplished.”

“
That’s not
true. Although, since you brought the subject up, what the hell is
the bloodsucker still doing in town?”

“
He’s staying
in a motel.”

“
Yeah, in
town. And he’s constantly hanging out. When we get to your place,
he’ll be there.”

“
He’s my
friend.”

“
Hmmph.”

A tense silence fell
between them, the cab of the truck thick with strained animosity
and extreme sexual tension.

“
We need to
get this mating ceremony over and done with,” he
growled.

“
Why?” Jae
asked derisively, “Because we’re so good together.”

“
Because I
have a feeling we’ll be arguing a lot.”

“
Oh, great
reason for mating!”

“
And if we’re
going to be arguing a lot, that tension has to go
somewhere.”

Immediately his meaning
dawned on her, and she turned, blushing, to meet his gaze. His eyes
burned as they washed over her. “I swear to Artemis, Lucien is dead
if he doesn’t get back here soon to authorise this
ceremony.”