Jake (Immortals of New Orleans #8)(14)

"You don't understand … "

"Then help me understand. What's going on with you?"

"I'm okay, really," she insisted, ignoring his question and straightening on his lap.

"Hold on now. You aren't going anywhere." Jake wrapped his arms around her waist, and gave a smile. "I can see the color's coming back into your cheeks, but your eyes? That's fear. I don't see anyone comin' after you just yet. Your arm though … " Jake slid his palm over her forearm and revealed her healed wrist.

Kai's cheeks flushed. "It wasn't my doing. None of it."

"I can sense your magick. Are you a shifter?" Jake asked, narrowing his eyes on her. "No, I don't think so. You aren't wolf. I don't sense any other animals. Maybe you're a witch?"



       
         
       
        

"I'm not a witch." Kai shook her head and looked away toward the far corner of the patio. A three-tiered fountain bubbled in the distance, an arrangement of black roses draped over its precipice.

"If you're not a witch or a shifter, it doesn't leave too many other options. Shall I keep guessing?" He ran the pad of his thumb over her wrist.

"Why does it matter?" Kai yanked her arm from his hands and held it to her chest.

"Are you a vampire?" She gave a defiant stare in response to his question. "No? Is there something going on with you and Quintus? Are you an item?"

"No, we're absolutely not an item," she replied, her tone cold.

"Hey, I get it. He's a good-lookin' guy. You scrub his back, he scrubs yours."

"I wasn't with Quintus," she insisted, moisture brimming her lashes.

"Did he hurt you?" At the sight of her tears, anger shot through him, displacing the irrational jealousy that threatened.

"No. I … he took me. But he didn't hurt me."

"Then what's going on between the two of you?"

"Please, Alpha, just let me go. I'm fine. I won't run," she promised, avoiding his question.

Jake raised an eyebrow, silently questioning her intent.

"I swear it."

Logic told him not to let her go, but she appeared traumatized. Freeing her from his hold, Jake held her hand as she placed her feet onto the cracked herringbone patio. As she stood, she wavered, and Jake slipped his arm around her, ensuring she didn't fall.

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I just don't have much interaction with so many supernaturals. Their power. It's overwhelming," she confided.

"Hold onto me," Jake instructed, supporting her. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Kai did as he told her, laying her face against his chest.

Jake fought desire as her delicious scent drifted into the air. His wolf whined, and he shook his head, warning him away. What the hell does my beast want with this creature?

"What are you?" Jake asked, his voice soft.

"I … I need your help. My sister," she began.

"That night in the woods. You glowed. Not just glowed. You were golden. Like the sun. I know what I saw. And you stopped me. What are you?"

"Shilan. They took her," she continued, avoiding his question.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me what you are. What is your connection to Quintus? You smell … Goddess." Jake struggled to respond coherently as she tightened her grip around his neck. His lips brushed her hair and he resisted the urge to bury his nose in her silken locks. Again his beast rose, circling, and Jake forced him to the back of his mind. 

"They're coming. They want me. If I can find her, I'll disappear again. She's in California. But Alpha," Kai lifted her chin, raising her gaze to meet his, "you. You're my last hope. You led Anzober Wolves. Please."

Jake's pulse raced at the mention of the pack that had once been his responsibility. There was no way anyone from the pack could have kidnapped her sister. All had been in order when he'd left them. And while it was true there hadn't been word from Alexander, none of Chaz's wolves remained in the pack. His mind swirled with concern but as his eyes drifted to her lips, he began to lose focus.

"There's something about you," he told her, all too aware of her fingers brushing the back of his neck.

"You've had much good fortune. But so much death," she said, her voice calm.

"What are you?" he asked. "What did you do to me last night?"

"I'm sorry. I can't control it. I'd been poisoned … it wasn't me."

She averted her gaze, but he slid his hand gently over her chin, keeping her focus on him. He tunneled his fingers into her thick dark mane, and she closed her eyes, breathing slowly.