Leader of the Pack (70 page)

“I’m telling you this is a bad idea,” Keith said. “Luck just hasn’t been with Cul making this official. I say we cage Jenna until after it’s over. I don’t care what she’s hiding that’s so important.”

“Or,” Mack suggested, “alternatively, we could all take turns beating it out of her instead of giving the bitch what she wants.”

Drake smiled and nodded. “I’ll go with that.”

Keith shook his head. “That’d probably be harder to do than you think now that she’s a dire bitch.” He grinned. “But she was a dire bitch before she went through the trouble of making it physical as well as mental.”

There were some eye rolls as they listened to Keith’s little crack. Sarah watched Cullen and Aislinn reemerge from the room they had gone into so they could argue in private. “You were really reaching for that one Keith,” she said, wondering who had won the argument. From the look on Cullen’s face, it seemed that Aislinn was the winner. Something was going on with those two.

Cadifor walked through the front doors. There were a number of large lycans surrounding Jenna, who was cuffed and being marched in between them. Jenna looked like hell. She was wearing a plain gray sweat suit and sneakers. She didn’t have on any makeup, and her blonde hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. She didn’t look like the same person.

Keith couldn’t help himself. “Prison’s not been nice to Jenna,” he chuckled.

Makeda got up and walked across the room. Her hips swung with more emphasis than usual. She stepped up to Cadifor and slid her arms around him. “You’ve been missed,” she said, in her deep sexy accent. Then she leaned in and kissed him. Most everyone ignored the display. Jenna sneered.

Cadifor smiled at Makeda. She released him and walked back to the others, returning to her seat as if nothing happened. “Well,” Cadifor said. “Are we ready to do this?”

“Yes,” Aislinn said with emphasis as she walked past Cullen, headed straight for the group holding Jenna.

Cullen growled sharply, and everyone looked at him, except Aislinn. Everyone headed out the doors of the cabin and down the trail to the stones uncertainly. Cullen was fire and brimstone incarnate as they reached the standing stones. He walked up to Jenna purposefully. “If anything happens to her,” he said in a low deadly tone, “I won’t need help ripping you apart.”

Jenna could see the truth in it. She nodded in compliance before the defiant look came back into her eyes.

Cullen stared into her face, reading her for a moment before he looked back to Aislinn. “Five minutes,” he insisted.

Aislinn smiled at him and nodded the same way Jenna had.

Stop challenging me for the sake of it, Aislinn. I don’t want to make an example of you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t.

I’d like to see you try
, Aislinn glared back.

Jenna laughed. “Trouble in paradise?” This was the most entertaining thing she’d seen in months. “It was almost worth the trip, to watch you both growl at each other.”

Cullen’s head snapped around to see everyone trying not to stare at them and Jenna smiling with amusement. Then he looked back at Aislinn.
You’re making a fool out of me.

This was not how things should be going. She growled to herself. “I’m sorry,” she said and stepped up to him with her head bowed. “Five minutes.”

How the hell do you get to me so easily,
he asked. Then he stroked her face, giving her permission to look up at him again. He half smiled and kissed her forehead. “Get it over with.”

Aislinn approached Cadifor. “What exactly is the agreement here?”

“You take her to Brennus, and we get the last of the notes she has hidden at the Tairneach manor. In a way I suppose it was good. The Feds are missing some pretty key information. But we still don’t want it out and about, do we Jenna?”

Jenna smiled. “Of course not.”

“Do you have Brennus’ ring,” Aislinn asked.

Cadifor stepped up to her and pulled on a chain around her neck. The ring came free from under Jenna’s shirt. He let it fall back onto her chest. “We’ll leave her hands cuffed, I think.”

Cullen growled his agreement.

Aislinn looked at Jenna and nodded toward the stones. “Let’s go.” Jenna was allowed to walk out of the group of guards. Together Jenna and Aislinn stepped passed the stones. Cullen and the others all watched as there was a red flash from the ruby on Brennus’ ring and the pair vanished.

Cullen felt the fog take over his mind, and he began to pace impatiently.

* * * *

Relaxing, Aislinn focused on Brennus Tairneach. She felt the energy from the ley lines running through her, and he appeared.

Brennus appeared on the slab in the center of the stone circle. He stared vacantly at first, and then his eyes focused on his daughter. “What is it Jenna?” His voice was gentle, and a tear formed in the corner of the proud alpha’s eye.

“Daddy,” she said, not really wanting Aislinn to be here, but knowing there was no other way. “I need to know something. Why,” she sniffled a bit. “Why did you never think I was good enough? Was there anything I could have done?”

The tear dropped from his eye. “Jenna, you were the one who thought you weren’t good enough. You’re my daughter. I always did and always will love you. You don’t have to be me.”

“But you wanted us to always rule the Tairneach,” she said, with a cracking voice.

“Jenna, I wanted any number of things. The most important thing was your happiness. I was never able to give you that. I’m sorry.”

Jenna tried to reach for him, but her hands were cuffed, and there was nothing there to touch. “Daddy I put it back the way it was. I want you to know that it’s the way you left it again,” she said. “But I can’t do this without you. Please. I’m scared. They’re going to keep me in prison forever.”

He nodded. “I know.” Then he looked at Aislinn. “Let me go,” he said.

Jenna glared at Aislinn. “No,” she said. “Daddy, don’t go.”

“I won’t sweetheart. I’m going to help you.”

Aislinn felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. She looked up at Brennus. His eyes met hers, with a wicked determination.

“What are you doing,” she asked in pain. “Brennus?”

Jenna screamed as the image of the alpha vanished. Blood red light flashed from the ruby on the ring. Aislinn’s head seared with pain. She fell to her knees, as Jenna began to shift. The cuffs cut into Jenna’s wrists. She screamed in pain as the cuffs nearly took her hands off before they shattered. Aislinn stared in fear. After a dazed moment, Jenna turned on her and Aislinn scrambled backward into the clearing.

* * * *

Cullen felt the pain start even through the fog. “What the muin is happening,” he growled. “She’s in pain.”

The others attention was divided between Cullen and the circle. “What can we do,” Cadifor asked. “Is there a way to pull her out of there?”

“No,” Cullen paced angrily, swearing as he walked into the stone circle and around it.

When Aislinn crawled out from between the stones, all of the others were already on guard and waiting for the worst. Jenna took one look around at the number of lycans there, turned and ran into the woods.

Cadifor immediately changed and started the chase. His group of guards went with him. Cullen ordered Sarah to stay with Aislinn and then led the others after Cadifor. Aislinn remained on the ground holding her head. A bloody tear streamed out of one eye and down her face. She had no idea what had happened.

Cullen was on Cadifor’s heels, but they were still losing ground. When they realized that they weren’t going to catch Jenna the group pulled up. Cadifor had the fastest of his men continue following and pulled out his cell to call for help with a manhunt. It wasn’t until he was looking at his cell that he remembered the damn reservation had no muin service. Cullen’s reservation was huge and there was more wild land surrounding it. A lycan could disappear into the mountains relatively easily. He was pissed.

“Cullen,” he growled. “How the hell do you call out of this place if you need to?”

“I have a sat-phone in the office.”

“Then we need to get back. I have some calls I have to make.”

Cullen, Cadifor and the rest of the group went back to the cabin. When they got to the stone circle, Aislinn was sitting with her back against one of the stones. Sarah took one look at the angry men and didn’t bother to ask. She knew that they hadn’t caught Jenna.

Cullen bent down and picked up Aislinn. She protested weakly at first, but quickly gave in and laid her throbbing head on his shoulder. As soon as they reached the cabin, Cadifor was on the sat-phone and had helicopters on the way. They were going to try to use the gps in the phones that the men following Jenna were carrying.

Cullen took Aislinn upstairs and laid her down on their bed. She smiled at him weakly. “So say it,” she said.

“What?” He was still angry.

“Say ‘I told you so’. It’ll make you feel better.”

He looked down at her and smiled finally. “You know I was right. Just remember this next time.”

“Can I get some aspirin or something? My head is killing me.” She pulled the blanket up around herself and turned onto her side.

Cullen pulled the drawer in the stand next to the bed open. She needed more than an aspirin. He took a vial of the healing drink the druids made out of the drawer. Keith was the one who decided that the alpha and betas should have the stuff readily available. He pulled the cork out of it and held it to her lips. “Drink this,” he said, concerned. After she drank the entire vile down he put it aside and wiped the bloody tear off her cheek. If Jenna had really hurt her he would hunt her down personally. “Do you feel like there is anything wrong besides the headache?”

“No. I don’t think so. It was weird. One minute everything was fine, and the next minute Brennus said that he’d protect Jenna. Then my head started throbbing, and there was a flash. The next thing I knew Jenna was screaming. Then I fell down, and she turned and came at me. That’s when I crawled out of the circle, and you guys took it from there.”

Cullen didn’t know what to think about it. “I need to talk to Cadifor. Will you be alright until I get back?”

“I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

Cullen tucked the blanket in around her, kissed her, and then headed downstairs. Cadifor was in the process of swearing and coming in the front door as Cullen came down the steps to the main room. He growled impatiently, pocketed his phone, and then looked at Cullen. “How’s Aislinn?”’

Cullen shook his head. “She’s got a terrible headache, but appears fine otherwise. I take it that we’re having no luck with Jenna?”

“No,” he said angrily. “She’s getting away. She’s gotten far enough ahead of my men that they’re having trouble tracking her. By the time the helicopter gets there, who knows.”

“Perfect. You don’t know how close I am to canceling things,” Cullen growled.

“You can’t,” Sarah said. “It’s all set. What’s she going to do at this point? She’s alone and running. She won’t be back here. She’s not that stupid.”

Cullen scoffed. “I’m not so sure about that.”

Cadifor shrugged. “You’ll have the same setup as last time. If she does something, we’ll be here, and she won’t get away with it. Who knows what you’ll have if you put it off. How long are you going to wait before mating that girl?”

Suddenly, Cullen smiled for apparently no reason.
I really can’t afford to wait any longer
, he thought.
The litter will be here before it should as it is.
They were all staring at him curiously. “You’re right. It’ll be fine.”

Keith sat forward in his chair staring at Cullen and smiled himself. “What exactly changed your mood so suddenly?”

Cullen shook his head but the dumb smile was stuck at that point. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Well,” Sarah said, still staring at Cullen, “I suppose we should all just stay here tonight. Unless you’re going to wake Aislinn up and force her into a car ride. Are you sure she’s going to be alright for tomorrow? That’s the only excuse I would see as reasonable for cancellation.”

“Nah,” Keith grinned wickedly, “she just has to stand on her hands and knees for a while. Cul could handle doing all the work.” Some of the other guys chuckled at that.

Sarah glared at him. “I don’t see Aislinn as the type to be happy with allowing anyone to do all the work.”

Cullen smiled and nodded at that one. “No, she’s not that type. But I hope that the headache won’t last that long anyway. It wouldn’t be any fun.” There were smiles all around at that comment.

The rest of the evening was spent with Cadifor heading out to use the sat-phone, waiting for the others to get back, watching the omegas finish decorating for the next day, and checking on Aislinn. She told Cullen repeatedly to quit waking her up and leave her be.

Chapter 26

Brìgh gach cluiche gu dheireadh.
The essence of a game is at its end.

-Gaelic Proverb

Take two
, Aislinn thought, as she walked out of their room and down the stairs to join their guests and friends. Sarah had outdone herself. Aislinn knew that she had helped with the arrangements, but Sarah really deserved the credit. The entire cabin was decorated with twinkle lights and white roses. The food on the buffet was beyond extravagant. There was soft Celtic music being played by a live band, sounding medieval and enchanting.