Jax (Immortals of New Orleans Book 7) (36 page)

Jax paused to allow the message to take hold, then he continued.

“They have the ability to cause illusions. They lie. And they’re here in our state. Our territory. Our woods. Where we run. Where we raise our pups.”

As he expected, muffled whispers rumbled through the crowd. He held up a silencing hand.

“They’ve taken Luca Macquarie’s fiancée, Samantha…a witch who’s with child. They’re also responsible for impersonating and kidnapping Katrina Livingston.” Jax drew a breath and reached for his mate, who placed her hand in his. “You may ask, why should I care about Katrina, a Lyceum wolf?”

Jax brought her to his side and wrapped his arm around her waist.

“As many of you know, Agrestis Wolves have endured a contentious past with Lyceum Wolves. My father…some of you lived under his savage reign. You watched as he incited territorial wars, brutalized wolves and humans alike. You watched as he beat his own son. You watched as I returned to challenge him, to kill him, to lead Agrestis Wolves as your Alpha. However, you were not the only wolves who took notice of my father’s sins. Tristan Livingston has been rightfully cautious of me over the years. While I have never been my father, nor will I ever be, his heinous acts continue to leave a blemish upon my reputation. So when these demons lied to Katrina, she asked her brother to keep me away from her. Although the untrue rumors proliferated, Katrina only sought to protect me from what she thought would be my certain death. But the fact of the matter is that you cannot deny what nature demands. If it is meant to be, destiny will bring two individuals back together. That’s exactly what happened the day I rescued her. You see, Katrina,” he smiled at her and turned his focus back to the pack, “she’s my mate. The bond is complete.”

Silence blanketed the room at his announcement. After he had killed Arlo earlier in the week, most would think twice about challenging his mating. However, when they shifted to wolf, Katrina would have to establish her own dominance.

“I know this may come as a surprise to some of you, given past events, but I can assure you that her heart is true. Our bond is strong. Unbreakable. I’m giving you fair warning that my mate is tenacious. So should any of you choose to challenge her or our bond, it will not end well.”

Jax caught the ire that flared in London’s eyes. He’d anticipated that quite a few females wouldn’t accept their mating and wished to be clear about the situation.

As expected, Katrina remained quiet, deferring to him. At some point, she too, as part of the mated Alpha pair, would direct the pack. Although Katrina was typically friendly, he predicted she’d kill before letting another female take her place at his side.

“Tonight most of you are running wolf. Some of us are taking the ATVs so we can go human when we get there. Finn’s going to break you up into teams. I’ll need several of you to stay here to mind the pups and protect the pack house,” he directed, his voice serious. “These demons and whatever witchcraft is driving these things will die tonight. It is the only acceptable outcome. Be mindful of the vampire who chooses to fight with us. As I mentioned, Samantha, the redheaded witch, is pregnant. If…” He turned to Luca, and restated, “…When we find her, I expect you to protect her as you would one of your own. She can help us fight these things but only if she is allowed to speak. Okay, let’s do this shit. I’m ready to get on with leading this pack and I want these fucking things dead and out of my State.”

Diabolical energy whipped through the wind, and Jax struggled to concentrate. As they’d journeyed through the forest’s edge, Katrina had warned him of the impending storm, but he hadn’t asked how she’d known. She appeared unaffected, her arms wrapped around his waist. Ever since their encounter with Jake, her magick had grown more stable. No longer did it seep away, causing her weakness, or to doubt her ability to shift. But neither did it negate the witchcraft that had broken through her psyche.

Thunder rumbled, and Jax gripped the handlebars. He swerved right, as lightning struck a massive white oak tree and uprooted it. It crashed to the ground, and Jax swiveled his head to check that Luca, who had followed his path, was unharmed. The vampire, undeterred, continued to trail behind him. Ahead, Jake and several other pack members trekked as wolf from the north. Finn headed up a second group, intersecting with them from the south.

Jax geared down the engine and slowed as they approached. He suspected whatever was inside the cave would sense their arrival. Both he and Katrina had discussed their experiences and had no recollection of the entrance. They only remembered the general location of where they’d escaped. Jax suspected the dungeon had more than one entry point. He recalled seeing multiple passageways and theorized that in addition to the torture chamber and adjoining cells, they’d discover a room of worship.

The quad came to a stop, and Jax turned to Katrina. She gave him a small smile, pressed her lips to his and jumped off the ATV. He followed her and scanned the area. Through the tainted air, he sensed his pack. His eyes darted back to Luca, who was already off his bike, his fangs extended.

As they approached the cave, the familiar door he’d shoved through to freedom came into view. Set into a thirty foot vertical cliff, the entrance was partially concealed by hanging vines. Although not visible, the whoosh of roaring rapids reminded him that the river flowed not too far away from where they stood.

“Do you feel that?” Katrina asked, gripping her jacket collar tight around her neck.

“Someone’s not too happy to see us,” Jax replied. Breaking limbs sounded behind him, and he caught sight of Jake and Finn padding toward him.

“Jake, you come with us. Finn, I need you to stay with the pack. There’s got to be more than one entrance and exit from this place. I want you guys to find them. Once you do, set up guard.”

Finn howled in response and Jake took his place next to Jax.

“Kat, you ready to go with the ring?” On the flight up to New York, they’d discussed how to utilize the items they’d found at Ilsbeth’s house. As much as he loathed the idea of letting Katrina get close to the demon, they all suspected that only her magick would kill it. If it weren’t for her, they’d have never discovered the mystical objects.

“As ready as I’m ever going to be.” She retrieved the antique band from her front jeans pocket and slid it onto her finger.

“If for some reason taking one down doesn’t take them all out, then this is going to be a whole helluva lot harder, but either way, we’ve got this. If we need back up, I’ll call on the pack but I don’t want to expose them to these things.”

“She’s here,” Luca grunted, his palms pressed flat to the gritty stone. “Oh Jesus, no!”

“What’s wrong?” Katrina ran to his side, settling her hands on his shoulders. He trembled beneath her fingertips.

“Sam’s in labor. The baby,” he screamed. “I’ve got to get inside.”

Jax swung open the heavy door, easily passing into the tunnel. But as Luca went running toward the entrance, he slammed into an invisible barrier. His nose bloodied, he pounded it with his fists, to no avail.

“Wards,” Jax noted.

“For Luca?” Katrina asked.

“I don’t know. Could be for him or could be all vampires? Or maybe they’re only letting us in because they want us here.” Jax glanced down the dark passage, and heard the faint whimper of a female. Although he sympathized with Luca’s anguish, time was of the essence. If they could free Samantha, it was possible she could release whatever wards had been set up to prevent his entry. “We’ve gotta go. We’ll find her. She and the baby will make it out of here, Luca. Hang tight and keep trying to break through. If we can get to her, she may be able to help us, or when we kill these things, maybe the walls will come down.”

“Swear to me.” Luca’s voice wavered, his eyes closing tight in frustration. Blood ran down his face and he made no move to wipe it clean.

“I swear to you. We’ll get her. Just do what I say. We’re running out of time.” Jax tore off his shirt, readying to shift to wolf. He reached for Katrina’s hand, his energy accelerating through his body in tandem with adrenaline. “Let’s kill these things.”

Katrina breathed in the dank air and fought the fear that threatened her courage. While Jax stripped off his pants and shifted to wolf, she’d peered inside an empty cell and recalled the times she’d been captured, reliving both her fear and rebellion. Never once had she given in, allowed them to break her. Exhausted and racked with pain, she’d endured. Despite the tendrils of trepidation coiling in her chest, she celebrated the chance to mete out justice.

A muffled sob echoed in the distance, and they both took off toward its source. Following Jax, she cautiously navigated the labyrinth. Her steps quickened, seeking the tormented witch who writhed in labor.

As the decades passed, Katrina’s dreams of a family had become a painful indulgence, forcing her to accept her childless existence. Admittedly, she’d been envious when she’d first heard Luca and Samantha had conceived. Not only had he fallen in love but he’d been blessed with a family. However, she’d quickly buried the ugly emotion, electing to be happy for her friend. With the child’s birth imminent, Katrina was determined to see her safely born into this world.
Samantha can’t lose her baby
.

A pinprick of light flared in the distance, and Katrina’s lungs burned as she sprinted toward the fluorescent rainbow. Jax and Jake ran ahead, barking in warning. As she stepped into the enormous stone cavern, she squinted, the luminous bursts ceding. Although confused as to what had caused the temporary explosion, Katrina concentrated on her task: finding Samantha.

She stepped carefully into the atrium, taking in her surroundings. Candlelit luminaries flickered, illuminating magnificent hovering stalactites. Like ominous spears of death, the sharp limestone dripped from the ceiling. In the center of the room, she caught sight of a darkened pit. Katrina spied a glass-encased cell, with a crumpled form lying in the corner. At first she thought it was the witch but as she approached she noticed the emaciated figure couldn’t possibly be pregnant.

A moan stole her attention, and Katrina’s chest tightened as she caught sight of Samantha agonizing on the bedrock floor. Wide tear-filled eyes stared back at her and she dropped to her knees. Reaching for the duct tape, Katrina attempted to remove it gently. Samantha’s hands were bloodied from clutching at the dirt. Jax’s familiar black wolf padded toward the witch and licked at her brow. Transforming to his human form, he knelt beside her.

“Sam, it’s okay,” Katrina lied, concerned they were far from safe. As she sat at her feet, the black magick spun in the air and she was certain the demons would soon show themselves.

“The baby,” Samantha cried. She clutched at her belly, doubling over as a contraction seized her body.

“We should get you out of here.” Jax brushed her hair from her eyes.

“No, no, no…too late…ahh!” Samantha released an ear-piercing scream as the pain tore through her. “I’m going to die.”

“Listen to me, Sam. I’ve lived a long time. I’ve seen babies born before, and we’re going to do this together. You and your baby are going to be fine. You understand?” Katrina locked her eyes on Jax in silent understanding. It had been years since she’d witnessed a birth, but given the circumstance, they had no choice. She glanced to Samantha, waiting for Jax to send her his energy. The power of an Alpha could usually only be felt by wolves, but she hoped for the best as Jax put his hands on her shoulders. “I’m just going to check you here, okay? Just let me have a peek and see how far you are along.”

“Where’s Luca? I can feel him. Oh Goddess, he needs to be here. I need him. Help me,” Samantha cried. “She’s coming.”

“Yes, she is. She’s going to be strong and beautiful, just like her mamma.” Katrina lifted Samantha’s skirt, taking note that she was almost fully dilated. “This baby is going to be coming any minute.”

“Luca? Where is he?”

“There’s wards. He’s locked out.”

“Oh Goddess. It’s a trap. It’s a trap,” Samantha panted. “He’s here.”

“It’s going to be all right.”

“Jax!” Jake’s voice boomed across the cave.

“Kind of busy here,” Jax replied.

“Dominique. She’s in this…uh.” Jake rapped on the glass with his fist. “It’s some kind of a cage. I can’t tell if she’s dead or not.”

“Sam, are you with me?” Katrina asked. It wasn’t as if she didn’t care about the female vampire, but a new soul was about to be born, and the child was her first priority. “I’m going to need you to push soon. Jax, just, I don’t know….can you keep her head off the ground? Whatever you’re doing with your energy, keep doing it. She seems calmer. Okay, let’s get ready…” Katrina’s voice died away as a flash burst from the center of the room.

Samantha rolled to her side, and Jax shifted back to his wolf. Katrina caught a glimpse of Avery teetering across the rocky surface. While she’d known the witch probably had something to do with Samantha’s disappearance, her eye had been blackened and she appeared to be more of a victim than a perpetrator.