Stalked (Rogues Shifter #2) (32 page)

Sasha laughed. “You were never one to train with classic weapons, but they can be useful. And it’s a good place for her to start.” He looked at me with respect. “You did very well. I would like to work with you again if you’d be willing. I think we can make a proper warrior out of you, mistress cheetah.”

“That’s the plan. I’d def
initely like another session.” He nodded and took the two staffs back downstairs. Garrett walked over and tried to wrap his arms around me, but I moved away.

“I stink from sweat.”

“You smell like a cheetah who has just come in from a hunt. Delicious.”

“Even so, I’m taking a shower and then making snacks for the crew.”

“Liam’s out, Kyle and Peter are out, Ethan and Sinc are busy.” His eyes twinkled with mischief. “I’ll make you something to eat, while you shower.”

“Merci,
monsieur.”

“Mon plaisir, madame.  After
you eat, you should rest. You haven’t been sleeping enough.”

“And whose fault is that?” I bit my lip remembering the last few weeks.

“Complaining?” He laughed.

“Not at all.” We’d been behaving like n
ewlyweds, which we were, kind of. It was just tough finding any time to ourselves lately.

“So tonight you catch up on some of that sleep I’ve been depriving you of.”

I stuck out my lip and pouted. “Okay.” I walked past him, making sure to brush against his side so he laughed again and whacked me gently on the butt.

Garrett made me a yummy sandwich
and salad and then watched me eat while he sipped a glass of red wine. After we cleaned up the kitchen, he tucked me into bed and curled up next to me until I fell into a deep, restful sleep.

Chapter Twenty-eight

A buzzing noise woke me up around 11:00 PM. I opened my eyes when I remembered I’d left my phone on vibrate. Garrett wasn’t in the bed. I vaguely remembered him saying he’d be having a meeting with his nest later. He must be down in the basement. I reached over to the bedside table and fumbled with the lamp switch.

It was Bridgett calling. “Hello? Bridgett?” I asked with a yawn.

She sounded excited—tense—
and her words were a little bit mumbled. “Jackie can you go somewhere private so no one else can hear? I have something really important to tell you, and I don’t want anyone else listening in.” I told her I’d call her back in two minutes. I got dressed quickly, thinking she may be coming over to the house upset about something. I went into the bathroom, closed the door and turned on the water to drown out my voice.

I called her back. “Ok what is it?”

“I have your lovely young sister.” It was Kennet. My stomach clenched up. “If you want her to survive, make sure that no one hears this conversation. Bridgett, say something to Jacqueline”. I clutched the phone, frozen in time and place.

I heard rustling as the phone was passed to Bridgett. “I’m sorry.” Her voice was hoarse and her words were mumbled as if she was in pain.

“Bridgett are you alright?”

“Don’t come
.” I heard a thump and then nothing from her again.

“Bridgett!”

“Quiet.” Kennet hissed at me. “She is unconscious. I will do much worse to her if you do not meet me. Come alone Jacqueline. If you tell anyone, I will kill her in an entertaining way. You will get her body back in pieces.”

“If I come you mig
ht still kill her.” I was starting to tremble. I had to tell Garrett, but then Bridgett would be dead. What the hell was I supposed to do now?

“I swear to you on our future child that I will not touch her again. I will leave her here perfectly safe. You will meet me where I say and then I will allow you to call someone to alert them as to where she is. Will you come?” I said nothing. “I am giving you ten seconds. She will be awakened and believe me, she will wish to die.”

“Are you going to kill and torture me instead?”

“I desire a child. Harming you would prevent that from occurring. You will be treated well depending on your level of cooperation. Ten seconds starting now.”

“I’ll come.” The words croaked out of me with great effort. I wasn't a martyr. I wasn't a hero. But I couldn't leave her to that monster. I might have gone to Liam, because he’d have the best chance of remaining undetected, but Liam wasn’t home. Maybe Garrett could change into a bird and follow us, but if Kennet saw him... “Tell me where.”

I grabbed a scrap of paper and wrote the location down. I left it on the bed along w
ith a scrawled note to Garrett.

He has Bridgett. I’m going here to meet him and then he’s allowing me to call to say where she is. Please take care of her. I know that you and Liam and the team will find me. Garrett, you are my life and my heart is yours forever. I’ll always be with you no matter what. Jackie

I opened the window and snuck into the woods. He was exactly where he said he would be. He told me where Bridgett was and I called Garrett.

“Why are you calling me from upstairs?” He was laughing.

“Je t’aime, mon ange. Bridgett is on the southern hunting trail near the crossroads. Look on my bed, Garrett…”

Kennet grabbed the phone from my hand. “She’s mine now, vampir
e.” I heard Garrett hiss as Kennet smashed my phone to bits. He wrapped his arms around me and we were travelling through the lines. Terrified I tried to pull up some power to fight him, but my mind was surrounded by darkness and then there was only cold silence.

Chapter Twenty-nine: Epilogue

Garrett
's voice: I was instantly in Jackie’s room, sitting on her bed and reading the note. I sent Sash to get Bridgett, put Rick in charge of security at the house and then raced to the woods, dialing Liam’s number as I ran as fast as I possibly could. He appeared in the field at the same time I arrived. This was the location she’d written down in her note and as we both looked around and sniffed the air, I could smell her scent mingled with the odor of her terror. Kennet’s scent was there as well, but they’d apparently left through the lines, making it impossible to trace them.

Another hiss shot from my mouth. I looked at Liam’s face and all I could read there was empathy and concern. Why wasn’t he angry? Why wasn’t he growing fangs and spitting
out flames?

I glared at him. “Why? W
hy would she agree to trade herself, maybe her life, for that stupid bitch?” The rage was making me tremble. In a few minutes I was going to be looking for something or someone to rip apart. I thought about Sasha bringing Bridgett to the house and almost smiled.

Liam spoke soothingly to calm the dangerous change taking place in me. “This is Jackie’s first experience with a real family. She wants desperately for it to work. The healer in her dictates many of her actions.” He shook his head in frustration
and raised his voice. “I’m sure there are a dozen reasons, Garrett. She did what she thought was right. Jackie will never change in that way.”

My eyes were tingling with silver. “When I see the sister, I might kill her.” I couldn’t bring myself to say her name. She’d been nothing but trouble since the first day she
'd met Jackie. But this was beyond anything else. She’d gone out of Maya’s safely warded house at night,
alone
, knowing that Kennet was out there waiting for an opportunity to use someone as a hostage.

“Garrett, you should think about what Jackie would want you to do.”

I shouted at him. “She wants me to save her from Kennet and bring her home safely, Liam. She’d be home now if it wasn’t for that…” I paced back and forth across the clearing.

“
I know you’re blaming yourself, but guilt is useless now. You were downstairs at a meeting, not out leaving her unprotected. No one could have predicted these circumstances.”

“You weren’t the
re either.” He met my accusing gaze. Pain and guilt rippled across his features, which only made me feel worse. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Right now, I want to rip out Bridgett’s throat. I may need you there to stop me.”

He placed a hand on my arm. “We should all meet back at your house where we can question her and plan a search. It’s
best if you organize it.” Liam was easy for me to read tonight. He knew that if I was occupied I’d be less likely to tear into Bridgett with my fangs. But it was so tempting. I smelled blood and looked down, surprised to see that my fingernails had dug into my palms, my blood dripping on the grass.

“Come back with me now
.” Liam was not allowing himself to give into the rage he must also be feeling. I'd need to reach down and pull up that same kind of control if I was going to find her.

I nodded and watched as the crescent shaped
wounds disappeared on my palms. “I’ll come in a minute. Could you tell Sasha to take Bridgett to the second floor den so I can question her without the others around?” He started to speak but I interrupted him. “You should be there too.”

He gave me one more concerned look and then dissolved into th
e ley lines, giving me a moment to myself. I sat on a stump and pulled Jackie’s note out of my jacket pocket. I put it under my nose and breathed in her scent, giving me the strength I needed to read it again, her last words to me.

Please take care of her
, I read. Hissing in frustration, I realized that I needed to release my anger before I exploded and killed someone. I stood up and screamed. That only managed to make my throat hurt, so I sat down again and read on.

I know that you and Liam and the team will find me.
I closed my eyes. Jackie, I swear that we will and you’ll be home again and safe. I pulled on the lines and sent that message out to her, knowing that she probably wasn’t able to hear it. I read the last part of her note.

Garrett, you are my life and my heart is yours forever. I’ll always be with you no matter what.
I held the note next to my chest and thought about the way we’d spent the last few hours before I’d gone downstairs, wrapped so blissfully in each other’s arms.  No one in my long life had ever shown me a fraction of the love she offered up with every kiss, touch and smile. On the phone just now, she’d begun with
Je t’aime, mon ange
, I love you, my angel. Saying it like that made it precious, an intimate gift for me to cling to.

No matter what.
She knew that she might be killed or tortured and if her torment was intolerable, she might consider suicide. This I could understand, although it terrified me that she’d give up before I found her. I’d use all of my resources and every drop of my power as a vampire, a shifter or a magic user. But if it was too late to save her, I would be content to join her in death.

My last deep breath was unsuccessful at sensing her, so I turned and ran with the wind back to our home, standing outside the open window and breathing in her sweet scent once more. She’d made the decision to take her chances with Kennet rather than sacrifice Bridgett. Now I was responsibl
e for getting her back safely. I’ll question Bridgett, organize the search, set up security at home and then do whatever is necessary to find her.  And when I do , I'll destroy the scum who took her.

*****************************************************************************************

STALKED is the second book in the Rogues Shifter Series by Gayle Parness

The story continues
with
TWISTED
  Book #3

Jackie'
s now a prisoner of a powerful fae lord and her situation is dire to say the least. Unexpectedly, she joins forces with another powerful supernatural and together they work on a plan of escape. At the same time, Garrett is desperate to find her, enlisting the help of all of his trusted friends, including the two fae brothers, Liam and Aedus. At the house, Jackie's sister, Bridgett is dealing with her responsibility to communicate information to Garrett, her guilt over Jackie's capture and her surprising new interest in William, one of Garrett's nest of vampires. Fought on three fronts, the battle to find and rescue Jackie merges in a surprising way.

In case you haven't had a chance, check out the first book of the series:

REBIRTH
   Book 1 in the Rogues Shifter Series by Gayle Parness

Jackie discovers t
hat she's a shape shifter and part of a large supernatural community. She trains with a group of young shapeshifters who become her close friends and allies and also meets Garrett, the magically powerful vampire who steals her heart. Together they face off against his destructive maker, Eleanor

BLOWN AWAY
: Book 4 Available Now

CAUGHT BETWEEN
: Book 5 Available Now.

TORN APART: Book 6 Available Now

Book 7 will be available in late, 2013

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