BirthDate (La Patron, the Alpha's Alpha) (22 page)
Read BirthDate (La Patron, the Alpha's Alpha) Online
Authors: Sydney Addae
Tags: #paranormal romance, #paranormal wolf romanance, #interracial shifter romance, #la patron series, #silas knight, #interracial family shifter romance, #wolf shifter romance
BOOK: BirthDate (La Patron, the Alpha's Alpha)
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Silas inhaled. The only unfamiliar scent was the stranger with Angus. And then he heard it. Damn. If he never heard the sound of a ticking bomb again, he would dance naked beneath the stars in gratitude.
“You have Bruce?”
The plane had been called and was on its way. As soon as the bomb threat was neutralized, Silas and the boys would go after her. His suggestion that she rest while Asia was knocked out was a good one. She glanced at the clock. It was after midnight and she had started her day at eight this morning. But until Silas contacted her that the bomb scare was over, she couldn’t rest. Bombs… again. Why couldn’t they come up with something less common?
She hadn’t understood all of this was a part of her new life when she agreed to mate with Silas. Living on the edge didn’t agree with her. Placing her palm on her chest, she breathed deeply and focused on an imaginary waterfall to slow her heartbeat.
Earlier that evening when Asia reached out to her, she had left Jacques in the upper area and headed for her wing. At that time she had no idea how she could help but wanted to be in a place with no distractions. That had been hours ago. Rose had come in at some point and left a sandwich tray on the table. Stomach growling, Jasmine rolled over, picked up half of the club sandwich and devoured it without thinking.
During the time she sought to calm and offer a distraction from the doctor’s lusty attentions, Jasmine had been blindsided by recurring episodes of Asia’s life. Unprepared to see this violent side of Asia, Jasmine offered bright lights and tinkling music while gasping in shock at Asia’s past. The young bitch had been cold and calculating with a deadly precision that would make James Bond envious. As one assignment rolled into the next, Jasmine noticed the Asia on the assignments was not the same person who called out to her a few moments earlier. There was no hesitation; no apparent weaknesses or vulnerabilities as Asia destroyed lives while carrying out her missions. Like an emotionless robot in a dreary colored world, Asia functioned as a machine, doing what was expected of her.
Being inside Asia’s mind had been a harrowing experience, totally different than when she linked with Silas. Her mate rarely thought in the gray areas. For the most part it was either one way or the other for him. The only time he dabbled in the gray was when he dealt with human issues. But Asia, her thoughts were centered on her environment, like a chameleon. When she was on assignment, she flowed flawlessly. Jasmine sensed there was some emotional fallout afterward on some of the jobs but wasn’t sure. No wonder Asia didn’t trust anyone. There was no color, no sunshine, no real reason to live, at least not in the manner of her old life.
“Why is she connected to me?” Jasmine murmured. The two of them were like oil and water. She certainly hadn’t meant to mark or link to the young bitch. The vow Asia made the day before she left had made Jasmine uncomfortable. The only person Jasmine wanted to serve her was Silas. “And what am I supposed to do with her? I can’t keep going through days like today, my heart won’t take it,” she murmured while peeking up at the ceiling hoping the Goddess would appear.
She did not.
Rolling onto her side, she went over the conversation with Angus and thought of the black wolf clan with a chuckle. Her mate hadn’t appreciated her teasing him regarding the beginning of the half-breeds into his world. He had been so hateful at the beginning of their relationship that she simply had to rub it in. Most fairy tales were grounded with an element of truth so they couldn’t discount the entire old wives tale.
After clearing the table and placing the dishes in the sink, she left to go check on her babies. There was too much information racing around her head now for her to sleep, plus Silas was still working and might need her.
When she entered the nursery, she stopped short seeing her mom sitting in the rocking chair. Jacques must still be working. “Mama.”
Her mom nodded. “Can’t sleep either?”
“No. I got a lot on my mind.” She took the rocking chair next to her mother and listened to the sounds of her children sleeping. Every once in a while one of them would snort, or make some sound. It was comforting. Her mind strayed to Silas and the situation he faced. She wanted to talk to him, but knew he needed to focus. The lives of his team and those who lived in that area depended on his clear thinking. Over the period of a few months she had grown to consider Leon and Asia as family. She prayed that they all returned safe.
“You ever wish you could go back in time and change some of the things you’ve done. Kind of like making right the things you did wrong?”
Jasmine looked up at the ceiling not wanting to hear about Mark, the fiancé who went bad, again. But, she had pinned her mom to the wall earlier and sought to make amends. “Probably…most people wish they could.”
“True. I wonder sometimes. What if I had met Jacques first…before I met your dad? I mean, if he is my mate now, he was my mate, then, right?” Her mom whispered.
Sensing this conversation might get deep in a hurry, Jasmine touched her mom’s arm. When her mother looked at her with troubled eyes Jasmine new they needed to find a comfortable, secure place to chat. “Let’s go to my place and talk in private.” She glanced to the area where the nurses slept.
Her mom caught on and nodded. Together, they walked arm in arm down the hall and entered Jasmine’s suite. “You want something to drink?” she asked her mom as she headed to the refrigeration to grab a glass of wine. It was late, she had heard, seen and done things today that required she take the edge off.
“No, I’m good.” Her mom sat on the sofa where Jasmine had lain earlier.
She brought her wine and some cheese puffs in a bowl, placed them on the end table next to her chair. “The way I understand it, Jacques was always your mate.” Jasmine eased them back into the conversation.
Her mom stretched out on the sofa and leaned her head against the arm rest. “I wish I had met him… before. But life doesn’t always work out the way we expect does it?” Her mom looked at her. “Look at you…a few years ago you were miserable and now… you’re different. It’s in your eyes. You glow. And it’s because you’re mated.”
Not fully understanding where her mom was headed, but willing to go along for the ride, she nodded. “I never knew love like this before. Silas…he is my everything.”
“I’ve always longed for that in my relationships, always wanted more. Your father… he was a good man. George loved me, I knew he did… but I wanted, I guess what you have now.”
Jasmine didn’t know what to say. Her dad had been a good man, and a good father. When he died, his absence left a hole in her life.
“If I had been more…content. Certain things never would’ve happened. I would never have gone out that night with my friends after work. Never would’ve drank more than I should’ve or flirted with that jerk.”
Frozen in place by her mom’s confession, Jasmine blinked and then took a gulp of her wine. What jerk? She wondered. Should she ask? Were they having a woman to woman talk or was her mom just blowing off steam while waiting for Jacques to finish his assignments.
“He was handsome, though,” her mom said in a wistful tone that made Jasmine stare at her.
“Who?”
Her mom scooted down the sofa and covered her eyes with her arm. The silence drew out so long Jasmine took another sip of her drink and popped a couple cheese puffs in her mouth.
“The man in the bar that night, can’t remember his name now and I swore I’d never forget. I shouldn’t have gone, it was a week night and Renee was crawling. But I wanted to hang out just a bit with the girls, you know what I mean?”
Jasmine had no idea. Mother of twins and married to a career military man at a young age, she had never done that. “Yeah.”
“We get there, the place isn’t that crowded, but people are coming in from work, eating and drinking, unwinding. Back then food was free during happy hour. So we grab a table and start talking, pretty soon guys are sending us drinks from all over the place. It felt good…too good. Your dad had stopped that.”
“What?”
“Looking at me with appreciation. Like Silas looks at you every time he sees you. The first time I met Jacques he looked at me that way too. It does something to a woman. At least to me. And this guy knew how to play the game. He hung onto my every word, paid for everything.”
She sighed, a long whistling sound. “I was stupid, gullible and needy of male attention. He had me at hello, beautiful. My single friends were jealous because he was rich and handsome and he only wanted me.”
Was her mom telling her about an affair? Or a booty call? Jasmine took another gulp of her drink and wondered if she could listen to her mom talk about this.
“Within an hour I was wasted. Truth is I was proud this fine sexy man had chosen me, so when he offered to walk me to my car later, it never occurred to me to say no or that I might be in any kind of danger.”
“Sir
,” Samuel called. “
The moment the door blew the clock on the explosives started. I must alert the human authorities so they can send in a team to dismantle it and clear the area. If humans die behind this I will lose my standing in the state.”
Silas looked around at the dead bodies and knew they needed more time for a cleaning crew before anyone could come below. “
We need cleaners for the human remains first. How much time on the clock?”
“None of you wolves can scent explosives
?” Silas asked surprised.
“You have Bruce?”
“Yes, Sir. He was the one who showed me a likely place where the explosives might be. He said the explosives are not far from where Asia was held. They intend to blow up the load bearing walls, which will take down everything else like dominoes. And, Sir… this lab is more extensive than we knew. There are wings beneath the river and the mountains. An explosion of this magnitude will impact the entire region
.”
“Something wrong
?” Angus asked as Silas and Tyrese headed back toward the doorway.
Silas snorted. “
You tell me. I don’t have time right now to deal with you or your friend, but I will be back as soon as I take care of this
.”
“What? What has happened now?
” Angus asked, sounding harassed.
Chapter 13
The plane had been called and was on its way. As soon as the bomb threat was neutralized, Silas and the boys would go after her. His suggestion that she rest while Asia was knocked out was a good one. She glanced at the clock. It was after midnight and she had started her day at eight this morning. But until Silas contacted her that the bomb scare was over, she couldn’t rest. Bombs… again. Why couldn’t they come up with something less common?
She hadn’t understood all of this was a part of her new life when she agreed to mate with Silas. Living on the edge didn’t agree with her. Placing her palm on her chest, she breathed deeply and focused on an imaginary waterfall to slow her heartbeat.
Earlier that evening when Asia reached out to her, she had left Jacques in the upper area and headed for her wing. At that time she had no idea how she could help but wanted to be in a place with no distractions. That had been hours ago. Rose had come in at some point and left a sandwich tray on the table. Stomach growling, Jasmine rolled over, picked up half of the club sandwich and devoured it without thinking.
During the time she sought to calm and offer a distraction from the doctor’s lusty attentions, Jasmine had been blindsided by recurring episodes of Asia’s life. Unprepared to see this violent side of Asia, Jasmine offered bright lights and tinkling music while gasping in shock at Asia’s past. The young bitch had been cold and calculating with a deadly precision that would make James Bond envious. As one assignment rolled into the next, Jasmine noticed the Asia on the assignments was not the same person who called out to her a few moments earlier. There was no hesitation; no apparent weaknesses or vulnerabilities as Asia destroyed lives while carrying out her missions. Like an emotionless robot in a dreary colored world, Asia functioned as a machine, doing what was expected of her.
Being inside Asia’s mind had been a harrowing experience, totally different than when she linked with Silas. Her mate rarely thought in the gray areas. For the most part it was either one way or the other for him. The only time he dabbled in the gray was when he dealt with human issues. But Asia, her thoughts were centered on her environment, like a chameleon. When she was on assignment, she flowed flawlessly. Jasmine sensed there was some emotional fallout afterward on some of the jobs but wasn’t sure. No wonder Asia didn’t trust anyone. There was no color, no sunshine, no real reason to live, at least not in the manner of her old life.
“Why is she connected to me?” Jasmine murmured. The two of them were like oil and water. She certainly hadn’t meant to mark or link to the young bitch. The vow Asia made the day before she left had made Jasmine uncomfortable. The only person Jasmine wanted to serve her was Silas. “And what am I supposed to do with her? I can’t keep going through days like today, my heart won’t take it,” she murmured while peeking up at the ceiling hoping the Goddess would appear.
She did not.
Rolling onto her side, she went over the conversation with Angus and thought of the black wolf clan with a chuckle. Her mate hadn’t appreciated her teasing him regarding the beginning of the half-breeds into his world. He had been so hateful at the beginning of their relationship that she simply had to rub it in. Most fairy tales were grounded with an element of truth so they couldn’t discount the entire old wives tale.
After clearing the table and placing the dishes in the sink, she left to go check on her babies. There was too much information racing around her head now for her to sleep, plus Silas was still working and might need her.
When she entered the nursery, she stopped short seeing her mom sitting in the rocking chair. Jacques must still be working. “Mama.”
Her mom nodded. “Can’t sleep either?”
“No. I got a lot on my mind.” She took the rocking chair next to her mother and listened to the sounds of her children sleeping. Every once in a while one of them would snort, or make some sound. It was comforting. Her mind strayed to Silas and the situation he faced. She wanted to talk to him, but knew he needed to focus. The lives of his team and those who lived in that area depended on his clear thinking. Over the period of a few months she had grown to consider Leon and Asia as family. She prayed that they all returned safe.
“You ever wish you could go back in time and change some of the things you’ve done. Kind of like making right the things you did wrong?”
Jasmine looked up at the ceiling not wanting to hear about Mark, the fiancé who went bad, again. But, she had pinned her mom to the wall earlier and sought to make amends. “Probably…most people wish they could.”
“True. I wonder sometimes. What if I had met Jacques first…before I met your dad? I mean, if he is my mate now, he was my mate, then, right?” Her mom whispered.
Sensing this conversation might get deep in a hurry, Jasmine touched her mom’s arm. When her mother looked at her with troubled eyes Jasmine new they needed to find a comfortable, secure place to chat. “Let’s go to my place and talk in private.” She glanced to the area where the nurses slept.
Her mom caught on and nodded. Together, they walked arm in arm down the hall and entered Jasmine’s suite. “You want something to drink?” she asked her mom as she headed to the refrigeration to grab a glass of wine. It was late, she had heard, seen and done things today that required she take the edge off.
“No, I’m good.” Her mom sat on the sofa where Jasmine had lain earlier.
She brought her wine and some cheese puffs in a bowl, placed them on the end table next to her chair. “The way I understand it, Jacques was always your mate.” Jasmine eased them back into the conversation.
Her mom stretched out on the sofa and leaned her head against the arm rest. “I wish I had met him… before. But life doesn’t always work out the way we expect does it?” Her mom looked at her. “Look at you…a few years ago you were miserable and now… you’re different. It’s in your eyes. You glow. And it’s because you’re mated.”
Not fully understanding where her mom was headed, but willing to go along for the ride, she nodded. “I never knew love like this before. Silas…he is my everything.”
“I’ve always longed for that in my relationships, always wanted more. Your father… he was a good man. George loved me, I knew he did… but I wanted, I guess what you have now.”
Jasmine didn’t know what to say. Her dad had been a good man, and a good father. When he died, his absence left a hole in her life.
“If I had been more…content. Certain things never would’ve happened. I would never have gone out that night with my friends after work. Never would’ve drank more than I should’ve or flirted with that jerk.”
Frozen in place by her mom’s confession, Jasmine blinked and then took a gulp of her wine. What jerk? She wondered. Should she ask? Were they having a woman to woman talk or was her mom just blowing off steam while waiting for Jacques to finish his assignments.
“He was handsome, though,” her mom said in a wistful tone that made Jasmine stare at her.
“Who?”
Her mom scooted down the sofa and covered her eyes with her arm. The silence drew out so long Jasmine took another sip of her drink and popped a couple cheese puffs in her mouth.
“The man in the bar that night, can’t remember his name now and I swore I’d never forget. I shouldn’t have gone, it was a week night and Renee was crawling. But I wanted to hang out just a bit with the girls, you know what I mean?”
Jasmine had no idea. Mother of twins and married to a career military man at a young age, she had never done that. “Yeah.”
“We get there, the place isn’t that crowded, but people are coming in from work, eating and drinking, unwinding. Back then food was free during happy hour. So we grab a table and start talking, pretty soon guys are sending us drinks from all over the place. It felt good…too good. Your dad had stopped that.”
“What?”
“Looking at me with appreciation. Like Silas looks at you every time he sees you. The first time I met Jacques he looked at me that way too. It does something to a woman. At least to me. And this guy knew how to play the game. He hung onto my every word, paid for everything.”
She sighed, a long whistling sound. “I was stupid, gullible and needy of male attention. He had me at hello, beautiful. My single friends were jealous because he was rich and handsome and he only wanted me.”
Was her mom telling her about an affair? Or a booty call? Jasmine took another gulp of her drink and wondered if she could listen to her mom talk about this.
“Within an hour I was wasted. Truth is I was proud this fine sexy man had chosen me, so when he offered to walk me to my car later, it never occurred to me to say no or that I might be in any kind of danger.”
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