Chapter Five
Jade
Jade had awoken several minutes earlier after the best sleep she’d had in years, and watched Noah as he slept deeply next to her in his own sleeping bag.
The day before had been full of surprises. She hadn’t expected him to apologize, but it was the kiss that rocked her world. And when she slowly recovered, she realized she would never be the same again.
Hearing his apology through their mind link solidified for her that they were destined to be together. When she told Noah she was willing to give him space, she had been willing to sacrifice her happiness for his. If he decided that he didn’t want to be her mate, she would have let him go as soon as their objective had been completed.
Part of her knew that his rejection could have severe consequences, but she thought if she had been in the same position, not having a choice because fate had destined Jade to be with someone, she would fight it with everything inside her. And she couldn’t do that to Noah.
But when he said he wanted to see how their relationship progressed naturally, she felt the coil around her chest loosen. There was always a possibility that he could change his mind, but she decided not to dwell on the fact until it happened.
Jade listened to Noah’s deep, even breathing and memorized the sound. Pushing her senses farther out, two things had her brow furrowing, one more serious than the other.
First, the snowstorm that was predicted for the end of the week had accelerated its pace. The wind whipped around the tent before dissipating, bringing in the heavy scent of snow in the distance. The storm would probably arrive the following afternoon at the latest, which moved up their timetable.
The second, and most worrying, fact. The breeze brought the scent of two distinct bear shifters and they had been close to their camp within the last two hours. They were closer than either she or Noah realized, which meant they could find their base in a couple of hours and hike back to the car by this afternoon.
Since they hadn’t destroyed the tent, Noah must’ve pitched it somewhere invisible until you got close enough and the wind pushed their scent in the other direction, leaving the bear shifters unaware. With any experienced assassin, they would have scented both of them right away and attacked.
Or they were playing with them.
Jade’s eyes shot open at that particular thought, a feeling of dread washing over her. It was supposed to be a recon mission, but they might have a fight on their hands and she had to prepare Noah.
Jade barely touched Noah’s shoulder to wake him and he immediately sat up, aware and scanning his surroundings. Jade explained everything and Noah stood, packing without question.
“We should find a cave or another type of cover, so if we need to hunker down or escape, we have some place that isn’t easily accessible and we can hear anyone approaching for several miles,” Noah suggested.
Jade agreed and within minutes, their campsite looked as though no one had been there and they hiked west, heading away from their ultimate destination.
They lucked upon a hidden cave, several feet from the ground but surrounded by trees and scrubs. They set up the tent and unpacked the non-essentials, before donning their lighter packs and heading in the direction of the shifters’ scent.
Despite the occasional wind gust letting Jade know she was on the right track, the weather held. By mid-afternoon, the scent brought them to a series of wooden barns and smaller, one-room cabins, but no house on the property. The way it was set up, it had been obvious that it was an abandoned ranch.
“I remember arriving on a long dirt road, but we arrived in the dead of night and they hadn’t turned out their headlights. This place has no outside lighting.”
Jade nodded. “I smell a variety of scents, but there are too many to nail down a hard count.” She pulled out her GPS receiver and shot a quick text to Ghost with the longitude and latitude of the place.
“I don’t see movement, but there’s no dissipation of the scents. It’s like they are near…”
Noah’s eyes lightened in realization. “Underground.”
Jade sent that information off to Ghost, wondering if he could get a scan with heat signatures of the property.
Noah stilled next to her and she scanned her surroundings, wondering what he picked up on.
“I have a bad feeling. The kinda feeling I got before a mission went south and people died.”
Jade glanced down and caught the message Ghost sent.
Intel received. Come home.
“Let’s hike back, spend one more night and head back to the car in the morning. We’ll have plenty of time to avoid the storm.”
Noah nodded but moved his MP5 against his chest, joining two holstered HK Mark 23 .45 caliber handguns. They trekked back toward the cave. The only sound was their breathing and the crunch of snow under their boots.
Jade sensed company and tapped Noah twice on the shoulder, their signal trouble was near. She pointed to the cluster of small pines, perfect for camouflage. Noah raised his eyebrow and she nodded toward the tall pine and pointed up. Noah nodded once and set off toward the trees as Jade leapt up onto the highest branch that would hold her weight, about fifteen feet in the air.
She wanted to glance around and see if Noah was safe, but she refused to look anywhere but the clearing where she knew the shifters would be coming through. Their two pursuers burst through the copse of trees and into the clearing and without hesitation, Noah shot one of them in the forehead, causing his brains to explode out from the back of his skull as the bullet expanded on exit.
Jade dropped onto the second shifter. She scurried from his back to his chest and pulled out the 9 mm that had bullets filled with Kai’s venom. She pressed the gun to the shifter’s chest and put two slugs into his heart. There was a gasp that sounded almost like a screech of pain and she vaulted from his chest and she landed on the ground.
With widened eyes, she noticed the shifter’s veins darkened as the venom spread from his chest, up his neck, and turned his eyes black. His fists were clutched against his side, and when she happened a glance down, inky splotches darkened his skin as all his blood turned black. He fell back where he lay, dead.
It took her a few minutes, and then, for good measure, she extended her claws and with a clean swipe, removed his head from his body. She watched in horror as his blood, now thick, oozed from his body and splatted onto the snow.
That was fucking disgusting.
Shaking out of her surprised stupor, she walked over to the shifter Noah shot and removed his head the same way.
“We should get back before they realize these two are missing and find us here.”
“Huh. Is that because of the vampire venom?”
“Yeah. Ghost will be excited that it’s effective, but I’ll be sure to show him exactly what it does.”
They picked up their packs and Jade found one of the perfume bottles she packed and broke the glass against the tree to hide more of their scent. The perfume would overwhelm their senses and hopefully throw them off track.
As they started their hike, Noah cleared his throat. “Why did you remove their heads?”
Jade glanced at him. “Didn’t Reaper tell you that immortals can regenerate?”
“No, I don’t think so. He and the others told me I have to sever the brain stem when I shoot them, but I don’t remember anything about regeneration. Seriously?”
“Remind me to punch Reaper for not telling you. Anyway, we can regenerate from gunshots and other wounds, but once our heads are detached, an immortal can no longer heal themselves.”
“How much damage can you take before regeneration fails?”
“Well, Reaper had been shot in the heart seven times with hollow point bullets and it killed him. Ara brought him back from the dead. Anything that doesn’t shred heart tissue isn’t fatal. You can shoot them in the head, even severing their brain stem, but they could regenerate. Most wounds will heal in a couple of hours, but more severe wounds, most immortals lose consciousness and will heal as they sleep. If it’s severe enough, get a hold of Ghost and have him send Ara.”
Noah grew quiet as they ate up the miles, the adrenaline still rushing through their veins from the takedown. She couldn’t call it a fight. And Jade knew they were getting close.
“Do you feel guilty for killing the immortals?” Noah’s question was quiet, but carried to her.
“No. We’re just like humans. Some want peaceful lives without conflict, and others seek power and control over others. Most likely, they were greedy and vicious as humans, and when they were turned, every bad trait multiplied until they thought nothing of killing, human or immortal. I have no problem killing, if it’s for the greater good.”
Noah chuckled. “You know, you’re sexy as hell when you go badass.”
A burst of laughter escaped her throat. “Are you flirting with me, Mr. Hale?”
He nodded. “But I’m also trying to distract you from the fight. You still seem keyed up.”
She clenched her fists against her sides. “I felt such a rush of disgust when the bear shifter caught sight of you, and I think I let the rage take over for a moment. I’m trying to rein it back in. I don’t want to run into anyone else. I’m feeling very protective of you right now.”
Her breath caught in her throat when Noah wrapped his arm around her lower back and placed his hand on her hip. Jade watched with wide eyes as Noah came closer and her breath caught in her throat. He stopped several inches from her lips, but his blue eyes sparked with desire and she almost moaned aloud when she thought about what his lips felt like pressed against hers.
Jade’s gaze dropped to Noah’s lips and she felt his other arm slip around her back and he opened his large hands on her back. She forced her eyes up and met his gaze and sucked in a breath at the desire that shone through. Desire for her.
“Can I kiss you?”
“Yes,” she breathed.
Jade felt the same skitter of electricity in her veins, but this time, her blood turned to molten lava when his tongue traced her lips, getting her to open for him, before he delved inside, tasting her and moaning, asking her to taste him back.
She lost herself in the sensations, not holding back and moaning into Noah’s mouth as his hands opened over her back and rubbed his thumbs along her spine, sending shivers throughout her untried body.
Without breaking the kiss, she stepped forward and clutched at Noah’s hips, bringing him closer while being careful of her strength. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him because she lost control. Being this close to him, feeling his warmth and savoring his scent, had her moaning into his mouth.
She wanted more, but she had no idea if he wanted the same.
As soon as the thought formed, Noah stepped closer and brushed his erection against her stomach and moaned as he branded her. Her knees shook as desire pooled in her belly and she couldn’t help but cling to Noah.
He broke the kiss but they couldn’t stop touching. She knew that he truly wanted her and she wanted to be free to show him how much through touch.
While breathing hard, she reached forward and brushed her fingers across his lips, memorizing the feel of them. With her fingers still tracing them, Noah spoke.
“I want you, Jade. I want to explore every inch of you, drawing out sensations you’ve never experienced before and searing every sensation and sound into my mind.”
Jade could feel her body shaking in anticipation at his words and she couldn’t stay away and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed her lips against his. After another scorching kiss that left her panting, she lifted herself onto her toes, bringing her lips close to his ear.
“I want to touch you, too. To make you feel as good as you already make me feel.”
Fire banked in Noah’s eyes and she reached for his hand, turning them both toward the cave.
“Well, what are we waiting for?”
Noah laughed, and they both rushed up to the cave, her heart beating hard in her chest. There was nothing she wanted more than Noah.