Chapter 36
Jared sat, huddled with his back wedged into the corner of the cell. Just holding his head up caused his body to tremble, and crawling to this spot was agony and had left him panting for air. He wasn't sure how many days he'd been here. All he knew was that this place was madness, or was driving hem toward it. Either way, the onslaught of things that had found their way into his cell, were horrifying. Jared licked his lips and waited for the next thing to come at him. If they could get in, then there had to be a way out. He just had to find it, but he needed his powers and body to be ready.
Closing his eyes, Jared grit his teeth against the pain as he crossed his legs and rested the back of his hands on his bent knees. The change of position dotted his vision with flashed of light, but he ignored it and tried to focus his energy. Moving his lips, but making no sound, he began chanting a spell his mother taught him when he was young. It was supposed to help him deal with being in human form, but he’d learned in prison that it also speeded healing when time was an issue. The spell plugged into the magic of his bloodline.
He growled as his skin grew hot. So hot that sweat soaked his clothes as his wounds began to heal. His brow arched as a heartbeat that wasn’t his began to pound in his ears. Jared was tempted to open his eyes and see what was coming for him now, but when four more, softer than the first, joined it and he felt peace flood through his bloodstream as his last feeding form Serra linked into the Mangus line and magic as well.
Jared flexed his hands as the power pulsed over and through his skin, into the muscle and bone. He didn’t know this was possible, to access more than one bloodline or one that was not his. A peaceful smile settled over his lips as he felt his strength returning and knew that he had a shiny new tool that his captor couldn’t foresee.
When his body pulsed in time with what had to be the heartbeats of Serra and the quads, he dared to open his eyes. It should have broken the link, but it didn’t. The drab chiseled stone of the cell disappeared and became the living room of the house that had sealed his fate as Serra’s mate. A smile curled his lips when the twins toddled in with a box of crayons and began coloring. He squashed the voice in his head that demanded, ‘The fuck?’ and told him this wasn’t possible, opening himself to whatever was happening fully.
"You coming? I made us lunch." Jared’s brow arched as Damion’s voice echoed hollowly against the walls of his prison.
Damion’s concerned gaze filled his vison when the body he was in looked up and then kissed each of the twins on their head before they pushed themselves up, using the coffee table as leverage. Jared was acutely aware that he may be losing his mind, but he found it hard to care as Theo and Justice’s scents filled his nose. A low-grade chatter, too low for him to make out the words, buzzed, reminding him of someone doing complicated math as their mind raced working out a problem.
Somehow, he was inside someone’s body and seeing through their eyes. But who? Jared looked for clues as he followed Damion. Jared’s mouth watered at the scent of baked ham hit him, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten in days. He felt the worry, determination and sadness that his host did. He didn’t dare believe it was his mate until, he felt the swell of her belly under his hand and the quads kick and churn, making her body pause and reach for the counter top.
"Serra?" He whispered not sure what the hell was going on or how this was possible.
Serra watched Pops place their plates on the table, her eyes wandering again to the broken couch. Pops had been insistent about replacing it, but Serra liked it the way it was and the way it still smelled of them. Her feet stumbled as Jared's scent filled the air and flashes of somewhere cold, dark and wet played inside her head. Her hand gripped the kitchen island to steady herself when she swore she heard her mate's voice. Tears pooled in her eyes and her heart pounded so hard she thought it would break bones. "Jared?" Her voice broke.
As she spoke his heart stopped. She felt him there? How? Jared pushed away the questions, not sure how much time he had. "Baby? Oh, thank gods you're okay. I don't know what’s going on, but I wanted to tell you I love you and I always will. Kiss the children for me." As he spoke his voice wasn't his own. It sounded like a mix of both their voices.
Wye appeared outside of Jared's cell and watched him curiously. The panther seemed totally out of it, like he wasn’t even here. His head tilted to the side. It was common for things to lose their marbles here, but the peace that bled from the cat wasn’t normal at all. He eyed the one The Master demanded that Wye find, or else. "What’s so special about this kitty?" Wye grumbled as she watched.
Something streaked past Wye, making the creature squeal and duck as it flew over his shoulder and into Jared's cell. Wye watched the demonic figure attack Jared. It was one of those ugly black ones. Not pretty, like Wye. His yellow bug eyes narrowed when the panther didn't seem to notice. Wye fumbled with the key in the lock and pulled the door opened, flying inside, himself. "No touching the master’s guest," he growled, taking hold of the figure and twisting its head off like a beer bottle.
Jared felt something rock his body when something slammed against him and new pain tore at his skin. As soon as it came, it faded. "Something has me," he arched a brow as the pain left him. “I don’t know where.”
Serra’s knees gave out when he answered her. "I love you too," she whispered and felt herself falling, her knees cracking on the hard tile of the floor. She heard Damion behind her, and felt his hand on her shoulder but blocked out his voice, trying to concentrate on Jared. "I will, but can tell them yourself soon, Baby." She braced her palms against the cold stone, biting her lip at the pain that clawed itself into her shoulders and hissed against the burning that lanced through her, wincing away from her father's touch. "Where ever you are, I will find you and bring you back." Her face was wet with tears from a combination of relief, fear and pain.
"I know Baby," he smiled, wishing that he could see her face and touch her one more time. Before he could say anything else, the link between them broke and he was staring at Wye again, in all his hornet turned inside out glory. "NO!" Jared screamed and leaped at the demon. Wrapping his fingers around its throat, Jared started to choke him.
Wye made a surprised gurgling noise and clawed at his hands on his neck.
"GIVE ME BACK MY MATE!!" Jared's rage took over and all he saw was red.
Wye screamed and tried to push and kick the panther off him. Wye kneed Jared in the gut and clawed his groin.
Screaming in pain, Jared didn't let go. Instead he yanked the creature closer and roared into his face, "Serra. Where is she?"
Wye tried to scream again, but the sound couldn’t make it past the Kitty’s hands. Desperation released his wings and the flapped open. Wye stabbed the barbs at the tips of them into Jared’s back and tried to pry him off.
Jared lost his grip on the demon. Snarling and growling, he shifted into his large panther form and his eyes locked on Wye.
Wye coughed and flew upward, out of reach. "Bad, bad kitty! Choking is bad!" Wye hissed at him.
Jared growled and leaped at the demon, even though his back hurt like hell from the demon’s claws.
Wye flew to the other side of the cell. "Damn it, Kitty. Stop this The Master will not be happy about this."
Jared didn't care. He wanted out and back with his family. As he turned to go after the demon again, the cell door was ripped off the hinges. Before Jared could spin and face the new threat, something grabbed him by his tail and dragged him through the cell. He yowled in pain and growled, twisting his body to see War. Roaring, he flung himself against his attacker and started clawing and biting the horsemen.
War snarled in pain and punched the panther in the head knocking it out cold. Glaring at the animal he spat on him and went back to dragging him by his tail down the hall.
Wye flew after them. "Let the kitty go. Master will not be happy."
War snorted and ignored him.
Wye didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t strong enough to stop a horseman. Chattering incoherently, he vanished and went to the place that Master had told him to bring the panther. Wye hoped The Master was there.
Serra panicked when Jared’s scent evaporated, the pain across her back fled and she couldn't hear him, no matter how hard she strained. "NO! Come back," she begged. Losing the link was as bad as watching him clawing at the edge as he was sucked into the gaping hole in the earth. No, it was worse. Dropping her face into her hands, she ached at the loss, feeling it so deeply that it must be stamped into the marrow of her bones. She wiped at her tear slick face angrily and felt Damion pull her into an embrace. "We've got to get him back, Pops. They're hurting him."
Damion stroked her hair and rocked her like he had when she was a cub. The misery that tainted her scent made every doubt that Jared was her soul mate fade. "We will, Munchkin," he promised in a soothing tone as he wracked his brain trying to figure out how. "We will." Damion carried her to the table and lowered her gently into a chair, pushing the plate toward her and putting the fork in her hand. "Eat. You need to stay strong for the cubs."
Serra looked at the fork in her hand. She'd rather stab something with it, but instead she pushed the food around the plate, finally taking a bite when Damion arched a demanding brow. It tasted like sawdust on her tongue as she chewed. "I could make a deal with Loki." She dropped her eyes to the plate of ham and potatoes, knowing what her father's reaction would be.
"No, Serra." Damion's fork clattered on his plate when he dropped it and turned an angry glare on her. "The price is too high and it's never what it seems."
She shrugged and refused to meet his eyes. "You tell me that you wouldn't do it if it was Momma lost out there, and I'll stop thinking about it. Besides Pops, I'm grown. You can't stop me." Yes, she knew that Loki was called the trickster for a reason, but right now she didn't care. Getting Jared back was all that mattered. "Find me another option and I won't do it." She took another bite and chewed. It tasted no better than the first.
"Damn it Serra Michell..." He trailed off. She was right. If this were Monica, nothing would be going too far. That's why he was here, to stop his headstrong daughter from doing something stupid. "Let me talk to Salvation again. I know he knows more than he's telling me."
"As long as it's soon. I won't make Jared wait long. We need him here and there is no price too high, if I get that." Serra squared her shoulders and began making a mental list of the things she would need to summon the god.
Justice ran into the room crawling up into her lap and picking up a piece of ham with her fingers and pushing it into her mouth. She beamed at her grandfather before tilting her head back to look up into Serra's face. She picked up another piece of ham, ignoring the fork Serra offered her. "Daddy comz home?"
Serra put down the fork and hugged her cub, placing a kiss on the top of her head, her heart breaking at not having better news. "Soon, Baby. He'll be home soon. You know how much he loves you, right?"
Justice nodded and ate another piece of ham.
"Good, there's nothing that will keep him away from his cubs for long." She tried to smile and glanced over at Damion. "Can you make sure they eat lunch while I see if Daniel’s hungry?"
Damion nodded. He was proud of her and the way she stayed strong for the cubs when he knew she was anything but that inside. "Of course, I will Munchkin. JJ can you get your brother?" He reached across the table and squeezed Serra's hand as Justice wiggled out of her lap and raced away. "You're handling this better than I would."
Serra scoffed and wiped her mouth on the napkin he'd placed beside her plate. "Thanks. For everything Pops." She leaned down and kissed his cheek. She purred at the twins as they raced by her on the stairs and instead of going to Daniel’s door she ducked inside her room. Closing her eyes, she tried to hear her mate again but got nothing. Lifting her head at the sound of the twins laughing with Damion drifted down the hall she accepted that she couldn’t do it on command and went to tell Daniel that lunch was waiting for him.