Sword of Mercy Read online

  “Rose is pregnant.” Jasmine dropped that bomb and waited for her sister’s reaction which didn’t take long.

  Renee screamed and tightened her hold. “She is? That’s so awesome. I’m going to be a grand-aunt. No drop the grand, aunt sounds a whole lot better and more me. And you? A nana?” Renee laughed.

  “Not funny, but I’m excited for them. Rone’s so happy he’s driving Rose crazy with all his hovering. She begged Silas to give him something to do outside the building so she could get her work done.”

  “Did he do it? I mean I can’t see Silas changing things around for someone,” Renee said.

  Jasmine waved off her comment, she’d heard similar ones whenever they talked on the phone and wouldn’t tolerate them in person. “Get over the Christening thing, you know that was a serious situation. In the end he was right, so stop coloring him with that event.”

  “I know. It still stings how he just shut me out. Anyway, did he do it for Rose?”

  “Yeah. Rone is working with the new Alpha trainees on the opposite side of the compound. He manages to come by once a day for lunch, which is way better than before. Rose doesn’t need any additional stress, she’s scared enough.”

  “Scared? Why?”

  Jasmine remembered Renee didn’t know her son and his wife were products of breeders with different concerns. “She had some spotting early on, the doctor said it was nothing. But she’s a first time mom.” Which had scared Rone to the point he demanded Rose remain in bed for the duration of the pregnancy even though the doctor told them it wasn’t necessary.

  “Hmm, can’t help with that. I’ve never been preggo. But I’m happy for them too. What about Rese and Dannielle? They trying?”

  Jasmine laughed at the idea of her controlling son and his independent mate having pups anytime soon. Those two spent a week deciding where to live, another week on how to decorate their space and another arguing over Danielle returning home alone to pack her belongings. They were oil and water, two hard-heads in love and lust who kept everyone entertained with their lively debates.

  “Trying? I don’t know, but nothing yet. They’re taking time to know each other first, a den will come later. At least I hope. Cam and Lilly don’t seem to be interested in starting a den, so I’m glad Rose and Rone are getting started.” Her voice dropped to a low whisper as the pain in her head increased.

  “You okay?” Renee asked, touching Jasmine’s forehead.

  “No, my head hurts like someone’s having drum practice.” She rested her face in her palms to close out the light.

  Renee draped her arm around Jasmine’s shoulders. “Take a pill and lay down a while. Mom and I’ll stay here with the kids. Go on, take a break, we got this.”

  Jasmine watched her mom on the floor with the girls lying on each side doing their own thing while David and Adam played some kind of game with a ball and agreed.

  “Silas, my head is hurting, I’m going to the room to lay down for a few minutes. Mom and Renee are here with the kids.”

  “I felt your pain earlier and tried to siphon it off so you could enjoy your visit with your sister. It still pains you. Go rest, Sweet bitch.”

  Jasmine smiled at the hint of playfulness in his words. The man still aroused her with a few simple sentences, she suspected that would always be the case. “Mom, my head’s bothering me, I’m going to lay down.”

  Victoria nodded. “Feel better, we’ll be here for a while. Jacques is in the lab and says he’ll be there the rest of the day helping Matt.”

  Renee squeezed her shoulder before she walked over to the boys, bent low and started talking. Seconds later she had the ball and the game was on. Pleased everything seemed in order Jasmine left the nursery and headed for the suite she shared with her mate, Silas.

  The fragrance of gardenias washed over her the moment she entered the living area curing the throb in her head instantly. Fatigue took its place, her legs grew heavy as she moved toward the bedroom. By the time she reached the doorway placing one foot in front of the other became a struggle. Blurry eyed, she made it to the bed in the middle of the room, exhaled and fell face down. The moment her head hit the mattress the lethargy lifted. Energized, she pushed up on the bed, looked down and gasped at her face reflected in a pool of water. Unbound, her hair caressed the sides of her face, making her eyes appear larger and her lips fuller. Struggling to stand, she noticed her black trousers and multi-colored blouse were replaced with a sleeveless long white gown that brushed against her bare feet. Jasmine wiggled her toes against the cool grass and looked around the forest surrounding the small pool.

  Green leafy trees offered shade. A small creek wound through the middle of the land and fed the pool. Fragrant grass and flowers of various colors gave the setting a surreal feel. The temperature seemed a perfect lukewarm blend for comfort. This had to be a dream or something, she’d never smelled or seen anything like the sights in front of her, plus she didn’t own anything like the gown she wore. And she would never be without feet coverings in a strange place.

  “What is going on?” she whispered and jumped when she heard the echo of her words.

  “Jasmine, mate of Silas Knight, the Patron, welcome.”

  Jasmine tried to move, to see the face with the sweet sounding voice, but couldn’t. No matter how many times she commanded her legs to move, or her head to turn neither responded.

  “Thank you. Where am I?” Her gaze flitted around the limited area of the forest.

  “I am the Goddess of La Patron and all wolves, you are with me. I must speak with you on important issues, therefore you will not be allowed to interrupt. Afterward, you will return to your mate to discuss the matters I share with you.”

  Jasmine nodded.

  “Positive, nurturing energy flow through females, as such you will be my emissary for this next, critical mission. Asia must secure her mate’s loyalty to the nation immediately. The two must merge completely and become a Sword in truth, otherwise victory is not certain. Asia must lead in this. You must lead in this. Be merciful, your nose will lead to understanding. This is a time of testing. Taste the truth and embrace it, reject the lies, and ride the wave of change. Change is on the wind.”

  Jasmine blinked as the words vibrated in her head and grew louder and louder until she wanted to scream. She closed her eyes and repeated the Goddess’ words until they imprinted beneath her lids. A whirlwind of power swept around her, lifting her hair, her gown and sending tingles across her skin and then stopped.

  Gasping for breath, she flopped over on the bed. Chest heaving, she sought Silas through their link. “Wolfie?”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I just had a meeting with the Goddess and it was fucking fantastic.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  Chapter 5

  “I’ll be back in a few minutes, continue without me. When I return I expect a full update,” Silas said to Matt and Dr. Passen, the two were working on decoding some information Hawke had sent last week. Silas believed it would help them locate the next Liege stronghold in the states and wanted that information posthaste. But his mate meeting with the Goddess trumped everything, he needed to be with her to process whatever riddle the Goddess left behind.

  “Yes, Sir,” Matt, Davian –Jasmine’s ex-husband’s mate, said turning back to the computer as Silas left the lab. Anxious over his mate’s condition, Silas kept their link open and scanned his mate for any abnormalities. He’d been summoned by the Goddess numerous times through the years and knew how her visits upset his biology. Being human, he hoped Jasmine recovered soon with no permanent damage. He moved quickly down the halls and took the lift to their floor. Moments later he entered their suite.

  “Jasmine?” The smell of gardenias hit hard and he took a step back to block the strong aroma. “Jasmine?” he called again, worried she’d been overtaken by the smell.

  “In here.”

  Covering his nose with his arm, Silas headed toward their bedroom and opened the
door. Jasmine lie on her back, staring at the ceiling. Worried the event with the Goddess harmed her in some way, he hurried to her side and placed his palms on her cheeks so he could look in her eyes and assess the damage.

  “Wolfie.” She giggled and ran her fingernail down his cheek.

  Silas frowned. “I thought you met with the Goddess.” Instead of being half-fried she appeared drunk.

  “I did. Told you I did. Didn’t see her though. She didn’t let me talk.” She paused, looking up at him with a slight frown. “That’s a lot of dids, isn’t it?”

  Silas sat back watching her closely. “How do you feel?”

  “Great. Headache’s gone, everything’s better.” She leaned up on her elbows, the tips of her breast brushed against his chest. “I’m her emissary, did you know that?”

  Surprised, Silas sat back. “No. I didn’t know that. When did that happen?” He didn’t understand what happened, but the Goddess’ visit impacted Jasmine a lot differently than him. The tension eased from his shoulders as he watched his mate pull her thoughts together.

  She repeated her conversation with the Goddess.

  “She told me those same words when I first met you. I assumed you, the twins and the pups were the change she meant. Obviously there is more going on. You always said Asia was special, that the Goddess would use her.”

  Jasmine nodded. “After all the poor girl went through, there had to be a greater plan for her life.”

  Silas agreed but wondered at the larger picture. “Hawke and Asia are important in changing things. Okay. You’ll talk with her about that, help her understand what needs to be done. But how does this play into the pups missing? She must’ve addressed that.” He stood from the bed and looked out the window. “So far one attempt was made to take a pup. The pieces of the sucker who tried will never be found. But it was sloppy, more of a human kidnapping than a pup-snatch in Angus’ reports. Still, the very idea that someone could take a pup from any den or the compound doesn’t sit right with me.”

  “There’s been no cases stateside,” Jasmine said, rising from the bed and then falling back onto the mattress.

  “That doesn’t matter. If it happens to one, it happens to all,” he snapped.

  “Check the attitude and the tone at the door. I didn’t say it was right, I made an observation. Maybe there’s a reason it’s happening over there. Maybe they did something. Maybe there’s a curse or a secret stone with powers. We don’t know.”

  He looked over his shoulder at her. “A secret stone?”

  She grinned. “Hey, I watch movies. Things happen for all kinds of reasons, there could be a kernel of truth in those old Indiana Jones movies. Don’t knock ’em.”

  Silas withheld a sigh and took a seat in front of the bed. “I’m going to lock down the compound. Keep the kids inside, no traveling into town or the forest. Not until I’m satisfied no one can enter my den.”

  “Silas.”

  “A pup was stolen from inside a den Jasmine. Another while his father was within a few feet.” Jaw tight he stood. “I’m shutting this down.”

  “Renee is not going to believe this.”

  Silas shrugged. “I know she promised to take the kids to the circus in town tomorrow. That’s canceled.”

  “How do I explain you canceled something you approved? What if we take additional security? Each of us will have a child on our lap. Will that work?”

  Silas hated to see the look of disappointment in her eyes and stood. “If one of our children was taken, what would you do?”

  He watched her straighten and her eyes cloud over. “I cannot imagine that, Silas. But I would be very angry.”

  “So would I. Jasmine, we cannot afford to get that angry. I would rather your sister hate me for all eternity than the combined destruction we would unleash on the population searching for one of our pups. The Goddess would not be pleased and would punish us. Chances are we would not see our pups again, even after they were returned.”

  She glanced at him and rolled off the bed. “Combined destruction, unleashed… really Silas? Dramatic much?”

  “You mock me, but I remember your actions when Tyrese was taken and he is a seasoned warrior, capable of taking care of himself. I would not be much better. Let’s not bring in the twins or Cameron. Let alone all fifty Alphas.” He rubbed his forehead just thinking of the fallout. His sons and godson would wreak havoc on anyone they thought harmed one of the pups. His children had wormed their way into the hearts of his closest associates who would leave no stone unturned in their search.

  Jasmine touched his arm and he wrapped his arm around her waist. For a few moments they remained close, their links open as they battled their unspoken fears for the safety of their den and all the pups in the nation. He meant it earlier when he said if it happened to one, it happened to all.

  “I’ll explain it to mom and she can help me come up with something to tell Renee.” She placed a kiss on his chest. “We’ll take care of it and find something else in the compound to do.”

  He placed a kiss on her forehead and inhaled. “Thank you for not fighting me on this. But I’m worried. Something is wrong and I think it’s closer to home than we think. The Liege has too many operations on this continent not to be interested in my pack. We must be prepared.”

  “That’s defense, which is good. But who do you have tracking the bastards down for elimination?”

  Silas met her gaze. He hadn’t sent anyone to track them down and destroy them, but it wasn’t a bad idea. Asia and Angus were his best trackers, but he needed them to continue where they were. Leon and Brix had been assigned to watch the pups but he could reassign Jarcee from the Alpha training team to watch the pups.

  Pleased with his choices, he squeezed Jasmine around the waist and kissed her long and hard. “The Goddess chose the best emissary a Patron could have. Thank you, I will send Leon and his mate Brix to track down the Liege in this country to send a message they are not welcome on my turf.”

  “Will you clear it with the Pentagon? Just in case there is some backlash?”

  Silas thought of his previous dealings with the Joint Chiefs during his mating ceremony. They betrayed his trust, and even though the President apologized, Silas was not ready to deal with them again. “No. I don’t need them.”

  Her brow rose.

  “Not for this. No one will see Leon or Brix coming, they both wear Chameleon bracelets. If a Liege Lord is in the states, these two will find and terminate them.” The more he thought of it, the more he wondered why he hadn’t done it before. Was he becoming soft? Three years ago, he would have ordered the death of a human enemy without having all the facts. Yet, he hadn’t ordered the demise of these heinous criminals. Ironically, his human mate suggested the termination.

  “Good. I don’t want them anywhere near our packs,” she said pleasing him more.

  Chapter 6

  Another urgent summons to meet Alpha Radoff came right after they started breakfast. Asia and Hawke left Chacal’s compound in a new black Hummer, courtesy of Alpha Ulric, and headed west towards the foothills in Romania. She’d used the chameleon bracelet Angus had given her to change her appearance into the white male everyone considered Hawke’s mate. The Liege had an eight million dollar bounty on her head and would love to recapture her. The bracelet had saved her life on numerous occasions and helped her free her mate. She would do everything within her power to keep Angus’ secret and the bracelet safe.

  Radoff had been excited by something he and his pack uncovered, and for some reason he did not want Angus or Chacal to know, not yet. Something about muddying the waters. Eager for new information regarding the missing pups, Asia agreed to hold the information close for now, but explained she would tell her Mistress anything she deemed important.

  The man agreed and told them to hurry.

  After a few hours they arrived in a small town that looked as if it were taken from a page of a medieval novel. Half fallen towers, large blocks of stone littered t
he ground from where the walls crumbled over time and an air of abandonment rested over the large building.

  Hawke parked the Hummer out front and they walked into what must have been the keep at one time. Overgrown grass, and twisted vines greeted them. Birds took flight and insects stopped chirping long enough to give them a quick inspection. Asia placed her hand on the hilt of her sword and kept her senses open.

  The sudden quiet disturbed her. Where was Radoff?

  Hawke stopped and looked around. “Someone’s coming.”

  Asia nodded and then relaxed her guard. “It’s Radoff.” They both turned to watch the shorter Alpha stride across the grounds with a sparkle in his otherwise dull brown eyes and a spring in his step. The man vibrated with excitement.

  “He’s pleased about something,” Hawke said, inching closer to Asia.

  Rather than respond, her gaze flicked over Radoff, and noticed in the streaks of dirt on his face, the dust and cobwebs in his hair and something dark on his hands he tried wiping off on his pants. She’d guess he’d found an underground lair or something. Based on what she knew about the man, the idea of him on his knees crawling below ground seemed unlikely. So, what had he been doing?

  “Alpha Radoff, you wanted to see us?” Asia asked when he approached.

  “Yes… yes. I think I’ve found it.” He stuffed his hands into his pocket, she suspected to keep from clapping or waving them about.

  Asia’s heart raced. She glanced at the old, drafty castle and then back at him. “This is where they bring the pups?” she asked in surprise. The building looked abandoned and lacked heat to keep the pups warm. None of that mattered, they’d be moving the pups to a better location anyway.

  Radoff frowned. “Pups? No. Why? Did you see something?” He turned and looked behind him and then faced her again.

  Asia withheld a growl of disappointment. “What did you find then?”

  He met her gaze and the sparkle returned to his eyes. “This is Lord Konstantin’s castle.” He spoke with an air of pride and amazement.