Jules (Golden Streak Series Book 5) (14 page)

“Baby, I’m so sorry. I didn’t…I knew when I bit you that I shouldn’t have. It’s too soon. I’m so sorry
, honey.” She patted him gently on the cheek, and he saw a tear race down her own. He kissed it away and watched as another formed.

“I love you and it will be fine. I need to be as strong as I can to win
, and you’re going to help me.” She smiled again. “I belong to you, all of me.”

He held her for over an hour.
He wasn’t sure what to do, but he had to hold onto her. If anything happened to her because of this, he would never forgive himself. Never.

He heard his cell phone ringing and got up to
look for it. He answered it and waited for the person on the other end to speak.

“You’re not her.” He looked at the caller ID and didn’t
recognize the number. “No matter. You must be close to her or you wouldn’t have heard the phone ring.”

“Who is this?”
The laughter at the other end made his cat snarl. He waited for an answer while he jerked on his pants. Something was way off about this.

The simple command made him dizzy. As she repeated the word
“
Come”
to him, he felt his body seem to weaken, then blackness took him. As he faded out, he reached for Ryland.

I’m in trouble.
Come to the apartment.
His brother said he’d be there, to hang on.
I can’t. I think…I think her mother is bringing me to her.

The room he was suddenly in was aglow with candle light. Every flat surface and
even some that didn’t look all that flat had a candle glowing from it. When he tried to stand, a woman appeared in front of him. He had figured she was the one, but now that he could see her, he knew.

“You
won’t win. She’s going to defeat you and you’re going to be nothing but a fucking human.” She grinned at him. “You’ll see when she comes for me. You’ll see that you’re going to lose.”

“Oh
, she’ll come for you all right. I’m hoping for that. But will she be here in time is the question you should be asking yourself. If she finds the message in time, you’ll live. If not….” She shrugged at him. “You really should have more clothing on, dear. Where I plan to hold you is going to be very cold on your skin.”

She touched him and he
jerked away. When he tried to move from her, she lifted her hand and his raised as well. Before he could figure out her intent, she had him chained to the wall with silver chains. Then he watched in horror as chains crawled across the floor like snakes and lifted up to look at him. He could have sworn that they hissed at him, but they moved to his ankles and wrapped tightly around them.

She paced the room several times before she
came back to him. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but he figured she was going to make him suffer a great deal before anyone could come here. He reached for his brother, not trusting the woman in front of him, to try and find Lenny with his mind. He wasn’t really surprised to find the link blocked by something.

“Can you reach her?”
He didn’t answer, and she put her hand on him again. He cried out in pain as she raked claws down his chest. “I asked you a question, and I do expect you to answer me. I’m not accustomed to people treating me poorly.”

“But you’re okay with you treating others poorly.”
That earned him another claw mark down his chest, and he hissed through the pain this time. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

“Don’t be an imbecile. My daughter.
Can you reach her?” She paced again after licking her fingers of his blood. “I wish I still had something of hers.”

She
hadn’t a clue who her daughter was. That thought rolled in his head several times as he watched her mutter to herself and pace. When finally she stopped and looked at him, he couldn’t help it; he laughed.

“You have no idea who she is
, do you? For all you know, any female that walks through the door could be her.” She glared at him, and he laughed harder. “You really are the perfect mother, aren’t you? You’ll be put up for mother of the year when this is over.”

“
Shut up.” He continued to laugh but calmed a little when she strode toward him. “She was stolen from me when she was an infant. I don’t…someone took her from me, and now I just want to be reunited with her.”

“You mean Viktor.” She stood perfectly still and he knew he’d hit a nerve.
“He tells a different story than you having your daughter stolen away. He said you nearly killed her with neglect. Did you?”

“You have no
idea what happened to me during that time.” She started pacing again. “Her mate, it’s not Viktor, is it? That would be just a bitch.”

He wanted to tell her that he was her mate but didn’t.
Instead, he looked around where they were. It was a lair. He was in her lair and that was why he couldn’t reach anyone. When she came toward him again, he thought she was going to ask him more about her daughter. Instead, she pulled out a long knife and stabbed him in the chest with it. As the room began to fade, he heard her laugh. Then her voice seemed to echo in his head.

You should have simply let her answer the fucking phone and you’d be safe in your nice little house.
She jerked his head up. “What’s her name? What’s the fucking bitch’s name?”

Warm liquid poured over his chest and he felt his cat snarl. He couldn’t shift, not with his hands and feet chained. When his head lolled to his chest
, he saw his blood pour from him even as she screamed at him to answer her. He did eventually. Knowing that he was dying and didn’t much care what she thought of him, he lifted his head and told her.

“Her name i
s Fuck You.” The pain radiated from his head to his entire body. When he reached out this time, he felt Viktor telling him to hold on, that help was on the way. It was too late for him. He knew that, and he was pretty sure that Viktor did as well. When his vision blurred to the point he couldn’t see a damned thing, he let it take him, but not before giving Viktor a message to give to his mate.

I
love her. Will you tell her that I love her very much, and that she will be in my heart for all of time?
He told him again to hang on.
I wish we had made a child. I would love for her to have had my child.

He calmed his cat as he
, too, began to die. This was not how he’d thought his end would come. He’d thought…hell, he’d never thought. Closing his eyes, Jules thought of his mom and his family. They were going to be so pissed when they found out.

Chapter 14

She knew that pacing the floor wasn’t getting her anywhere
, but she needed to do something. She watched as Viktor and Peter spoke to Keith and when he looked at her, she tried to smile. It was her fault that their brother had been taken, and she had to get him back. She turned to Sandra.

“I’m going to go and get him.”
Sandra raised a brow at her. “I can’t just sit around here and wait for him to die because it’s still an hour before midnight.”

“And just where will you go? Do you have some sort of tracking
system that will lead you to him? Or her for that matter? If you do, I’d very much like to use it when I go to the mall. I’m forever losing my car in the lot. Will you please sit down?”

She
sat but wasn’t happy. She was seriously pissed off, and she wanted someone to feel it. When Brock walked by her, she wanted to trip him so he would fight with her, but he turned to her at the last second and smiled.

“He
won’t play fairly, and I’m pretty sure that he’d hurt you a great deal more than you can afford right now.” He winked at her. “You and I will play later.”

“She has him and I want him back.” He nodded and sat near her. “Please just let me go and find him. I’m sure that she’s close.
Peter said she couldn’t have pulled him to her for a long distance the way she took him.”

“Here you go.”
She took the small piece of paper. “Em and Bronwyn are already in the yard. Ryland is too. Go out through the kitchen and slip into the yard beyond the pool house. Mom said you know where it is.”

She glanced
down at the address and then up at him. He stood up and moved toward the kitchen himself. She supposed they were gathering forces, but she wasn’t sure why they were doing it so quietly. She looked over at Sandra when she sat next to her.

“The Realm
, dear. They are not allowing anyone to go find Jules because they think to save you over him.” Lenny looked at her, not believing that. “They said it would be for the best. I’d very much like to show them my best. My best fist in the nose. Who are they to say who lives or dies?”

She
didn’t know and looked at the kitchen door. She had to hurry now and needed to get going. When Sandra stood up and swayed slightly, Lenny started to reach for her but didn’t when she nodded toward the kitchen. She was giving her a diversion. As soon as Sandra moved closer to the three men and further away from her, she swayed again, this time managing to pull off a beautiful vase filled with flowers.

Lenny
was through the kitchen door when she heard Viktor yell to grab her. Laughing, Lenny ran across the yard to the pool house to find all of them there, with the exception of Keith.

“
He’ll be along shortly. He found the address about twenty minutes ago and gave it to me.” Ryland took off his shirt. “We’re going to run across the fields as tigers. It’s much quicker that way. You’re going to as well. Are you ready for this?”

Was she?
She looked at Ryland, just realizing that he knew. She backed up, fearful that he’d be pissed because they hadn’t waited.

“You take this out on him when I get him back
, and so help me you’ll have to sleep with both eyes open and I’ll still get back at you. It was entirely my fault anyway. I wanted this and he didn’t have a choice. You want to be pissed then you take it—”

He put his hand over her mouth.
“While I would normally have fun at your expense, we don’t really have time for this. I’m not mad. And the fact that you’re ready to go without any signs of weakness means there is something more going on with you than this thing with your mother. Now, are you ready?”

She nodded and he handed her a robe.
He told her to go behind the tree and take off her clothes, and when she was undressed to put on the robe and come back. He told her she would need her clothes when they got to the house. She was just pulling on the robe when Keith came toward them. He was smiling.

“Man,
Mom should get an award for her performance. She had those men trying everything to get her to sit down.” He looked at her. “You ready there, sis?”

“I have no idea.” He nodded at her
, and she wanted to beg him to help her but he only took her clothes and put them into a duffle. Then he showed her how to tie it around her.

“It’ll come off easily if you’re
caught. Now, I want you to close your eyes and think of your cat. It might hurt a little, but just think of a tiger, your tiger, and let her come—”

Closing her eyes again
, she let the tiger come to her. It was strange to see something so vicious and so large looking at her with such awe. When Lenny smiled at her, the cat, beautiful in her white coat, waved her large paw at her in a sort of greeting. When she nodded, the cat seemed to leap at her and she felt the sudden fear, then…nothing. She opened her eyes to see that the others had shifted, and she was disappointed that she would not be able to keep up.

She’s white
. She opened her eyes and looked at Keith.
That can’t be right, can it
?
A white tiger
?

It is if that’s what you are
. Ryland laughed a little as he looked at her and answered Keith.
I’ve only ever seen one other white tiger, and she’s standing over there. Bronwyn isn’t really white but she can shift to one. So can Rayne. But you’re not a shifter, and if your tiger is white, then she’s white. Bring her out to play with us, Lenny. I want my brother home
. Ryland came to her, and he touched her mind again.

You’re lovely.
She shook her head and he laughed.
You’re all white. A very rare completely white tiger. You’re called a royal white, and I’m honored to have you in my streak.
When he bowed before her, she wanted to run and find a mirror.

I didn’t think it worked.
She took a step forward and nearly fell over
. Wow, that’s weird. I guess walking on four feet is harder than I thought.

It was hard to walk and learn how to step
at first. She kept tangling her back feet up with her hands…front feet, she supposed…and kept falling over. No one laughed at her but were all very encouraging. She looked up at Ryland and told him to go on and she’d catch up.

We stick together in this.
Besides, I want to see Jules’s face when you shift in front of your mother.
He watched her a few more minutes before he told her she had it.
You should also know that you’re bigger than a normal cat. Nearly half again the size of Bronwyn and the other females. Not as big as Em’s beast, but close. You’re going to kick her ass if you have to shift to take her.

They were running
, and she had to concentrate hard on doing it. As soon as she leapt over the first fallen log, she laughed. It was an amazing feeling to soar over something and land so nicely. She didn’t even feel winded when Ryland stopped in front of her. Alistair—she knew which tiger was which now—stepped beside her and nudged her shoulder.

You’ll need to touch each of us as a cat to communicate with us.
Do you know us in this form?
She told him she did, surprisingly.
Not really so surprising. Your cat came to you easily, so I’m thinking she was there all along. She knew us for what we are.

She moved to each of them and they all rubbed against her.
Neal was the last and he laughed when he moved along her body with his. She asked him what the hell was so funny.

Jules is going to be so pissed at us.
We’ve all marked you now. It was necessary, but usually we ask for permission first. This is going to be so epic. I cannot wait to see what he does.
She stared at him. He couldn’t be serious. She looked at Bronwyn while the others looked at the house in front of them for a way in.

It’s
to relieve the tension and to have some fun with each other. They do stupid childish shit like that all the time. Neal and Alistair used to hug me just to piss Ryland off. Of course, the benefit to us is they feel the need to mark us again. It’s…amazing.

It was nearing midnight when they shifted and dressed.
Ryland said he would be point, but she told him she was. He argued with her for a few minutes until she took him down with a kick to the ankles.

“I’m better prepared to be point man.
You’re all big and nasty when it comes to being the big cheese, but this I know.” He nodded but she could see he wasn’t happy. “I promise next time we have to go into a vampire’s lair you can be point man. Deal?”

“You don’t have to be so sarcastic all the time. A simple ‘I know more than you on this’ would have sufficed.”
She cocked a brow at him and he laughed. “Okay, no it wouldn’t have, but you’re going to pay for knocking your big, bad, nasty male on his ass.”

She could live with that so long as there was a next time.
The door was unlocked when they entered, and she moved through it slowly. Memories of the last time she’d done this with someone made her take a deep breath, then another before she entered. Neal and Brock were going around to the back, Em and Ally were going to the one of the basement doors, and Bronwyn and Rayne the other. They had everything covered, she hoped.

The house was dark when she entered first. A trick that Mason had taught her was to find a
light switch and turn it on. It would help her and surprise the person who preferred the darkness. He’d been talking about a different kind of perp than she was currently looking for, but a perp was a perp, she supposed. The switch was right where she’d thought it to be, and she flipped it on. The entire entrance hall came to life with light.

Ryland came in next
, with Alistair and Brock right behind him. Keith went to the right and Alistair to the left. She had them turn on lights in every room. When she and Ryland started forward, he went to the stairs and she stopped him.

“She
won’t be in a bedroom, and she certainly won’t have Jules in one either. Or she’d better fucking not have him in a bedroom. They’ll be in a lair in the basement.” He nodded and followed her. She was glad now that she’d talked to Peter before they left. She would have gone up, too.

There were two doors.
She wasn’t sure which to open and was just turning to Ryland when one of them opened and a…thing jumped out at her. She leapt back, but not quick enough to miss the claw that raked across her cheek. An inch lower and she would have lost her head. Taking the pencil out that she had in her hair to hold it back, she stabbed him in the back when he went for Ryland. He looked at her when the vampire disappeared.

“Nice trick.
I’ll have to remember to carry pencils around just to keep me from being attacked.” She smiled and helped him up. “You’re already healed. You must have some amazing powers locked away.”

The scream from below them had them both tense up. Ryland called for Alistair and Brock and had them come to them. All three of them shifted
, and she opened the door and led the way down. She knew the moment they passed through the door at the bottom that Jules was hurt, and hurt badly.

“How nice of you to show up. And
, look, you brought me some kitties. They are lovely, aren’t they? They will make a nice rug for my front parlor.”

Lenny looked at her mother for the first time.
“You’re not going to get the chance to touch any of us, Divinity, or Naomi, or whatever fucking name you’re calling yourself now. I have plans to kill you.” Her mother laughed, and Lenny felt her hair dance along her skin. When she walked to a wall covered in silk, Lenny nearly cried out when she saw Jules hanging there. He had a knife sticking out of his chest and blood on his face.

“I think these cats will do anything for their brother
, including bringing me my daughter.” Lenny didn’t look at Ryland, but she wanted to ask him if she’d heard her correctly when someone touched her mind. She felt relief that it was Jules, but he sounded very weak.

She doesn’t know. Don’t tell her
, but she has no idea even what your name is.
Jules lifted his head slightly, and she saw that he’d been bitten, too.
I love you. Will you please make it so that we can get the hell out of here? I’ve got a major headache and my chest hurts.

Tears blinded her for several seconds
, and she looked back at her mother. She thought she’d won and that any minute now someone was just going to bring a daughter to her and she’d simply kill her.

“You should know that what we’re doing is
decreed by the Holder of the Realm. And as such, we are hereby ordered to mandate you to them and—”

Her mother
came at her, and before she could raise her gun to fire at her, the gun was flying across the room. There was no way she could try and reach it. Then she heard a command to shift barked in her mind, and she was rolling on four feet rather than two. Turning to see her mother, she leapt at her as she stood there staring.

Claws tore at her flesh as she tangled with the pissed off vampire.
Every time Lenny thought she had her, she’d snap her teeth into her and Lenny would move to get them out of her. When her mother clawed at her face, Lenny bit her hand off and spit it away, and was glad to see her mother screaming for a change. Taking advantage of her distraction, she clamped her mouth over her throat and bit down hard. All movement from her mother stopped.