CHAPTER TEN
The jet and private terminal were both opulent and a bit overwhelming. Nick had introduced her to two other Clan members, as he called them. A bright-eyed young woman named Lucinda and a man named Keith, who was close enough in looks to be her twin but was, in fact, her younger brother.
The brother and sister team took the controls for the first part of the flight, getting them into the air and headed for the east coast. Nick kept Sal company in the small cabin, showing her where they kept the snacks and drinks.
“We can get lunch on the ground when we set down for fuel,” Nick told her.
He raised his voice only slightly to be heard over the noise of the engine. The cabin must be heavily insulated against the high-pitched sound of the jet engine that was mounted to the back of the small plane.
“There’s a great steak place near the little airport we use in Texas that will deliver out to the terminal. I always try to stop there when I’m in the area,” he went on.
They talked of his travels and the work he did for, and with, Mark Pepard. The conversation was light in nature, which suited her just fine. The last few weeks had been very trying on her nerves, and the revelations of the past hours had been the most jarring of all. She would need some time to assimilate all the new information he had given her about the world.
How could she not have known—or even suspected—that things like shapeshifters could actually exist? With all the weirdness in her own family, it seemed strange that she had never even considered it before.
At least she knew now. That was something. Most people probably lived their entire lives never even considering that some of the ancient folk tales about werewolves and magic might possibly be true.
When they set down in Texas, Sal put on the baseball cap and big sunglasses Nick handed her before exiting the plane. She wasn’t really trying to hide her identity, but she also didn’t want to draw too much attention. As promised, Nick ordered lunch for all of them from the steak house he favored, and they waited in the small private terminal for the delivery while Lucinda and Keith saw to the refueling.
When a handsome young man with the big bag of takeout arrived some minutes later, Nick greeted him as an old friend. Apparently, they were on a first-name basis, and Nick took the time to introduce her to the much younger male named Kevin.
“We’re able to talk freely here,” Nick told her in confidential tones. “Big Wolf Airport is run by Kevin’s dad, the Alpha of the Big Wolf Ranch Pack, which owns the ranch and airport that bears its name. The staff are all Pack members, and when we set down, we received the code that said no non-shifters were here right now. The airport is open to the public, of course, but there are bigger and better-situated air strips closer to the cities that most humans prefer unless they’re doing cross-country flights like we are.”
“Shifters own all this?” Sal asked, impressed.
“And the steak house, too,” Nick agreed, nodding and smiling at Kevin. “How’s your family been since the last time I was through?”
“We’re all good, sir, though my older sister is driving everybody crazy, but what else is new?” Kevin rolled his eyes, and both men smiled.
“Give them my best, and thanks for bringing this out,” Nick said, handing over a wad of bills to the young man. “Keep the change,” he said magnanimously, when Kevin tried to give some of it back.
“Just wanted to say I really liked your last movie,” Kevin said, turning unexpectedly to look at Sal. She was a little floored to think that she might actually have fans among shapeshifters.
“Thanks,” she replied, giving the youngster a pleased smile, which made his cheeks flush a bit. Right then and there, Kevin endeared himself to her forevermore.
He was an adolescent kid, just like so many others she’d met since her movie made it big, and they’d all had similar reactions. He was adorable. Even if he could turn into some sort of predator—she was betting a wolf, based on the name of the airport. A big one, if the people lived up to the name of their Pack.
“Wanna take a selfie?” she asked on impulse. She’d learned recently that pushy folks would ask, but the shy ones were reticent.
The kid’s face lit up, and he reached for his phone with eager fingers, pushing buttons to set it up to take the photo. Then, he turned to Nick, and Sal figured he was going to ask if Nick would take the photo, but his words surprised her.
“Would you be in it, too, sir?” Kevin’s tone was hesitant, but still eager.
“Sure,” Nick said easily, moving closer to wrap his arm around the younger man’s shoulders on one side while Sal framed Kevin on the other. She took the phone and snapped the picture, taking another, just for insurance, in case somebody was blinking. Then, she handed the phone back to Kevin.
“This is so awesome. Thanks!” He was tapping on his phone to check the images. “Now, I have proof I got to talk with Nick Balam and Sullivan Lane on the same day. My sister’s going to kick herself for not wanting to do the airport run today.”
The kid walked away, all smiles, and Sal had to wonder at Nick’s level of celebrity among his own kind. It sure sounded like the selfie with Nick was more important than the fact that she was in it, too. She didn’t mind, of course, but it was a turnaround from the way things had been of late.
“You’re famous among your people, aren’t you?” she asked him with a sly grin as they walked through the small terminal, heading back toward the jet.
He shrugged, seeming a little uncomfortable with the topic. “My Alpha is the famous one. Mark goes all over the world, and I go with him. Occasionally, I end up on the front page of the paper in the background of something Mark is doing, but nobody outside shifter circles really knows who I am. I like to keep it that way.”
“But among shifters…?” she insisted.
“Well, I am a pretty visible Beta to Mark’s Alpha,” he allowed. “And most other shifter groups have slightly different power structures than the Jaguar Clan. The Alpha is like our political leader. I’m his right hand and head of security. He leads. I protect. Though, to be fair, Mark is a great protector, as well. Our forefathers just set up this hierarchy to suit our independent natures. A wolf Pack functions a lot differently, but they probably don’t know enough about our inner workings to realize just how different we are.”
“Cats and dogs,” she whispered, hoping her words would only reach Nick. She didn’t want to inadvertently insult anybody from the wolf Pack.
Nick laughed aloud at her words, sending her a smile. “Yeah, it’s evolution, I guess. There’s a reason we’re a Clan and they’re a Pack. They’re a lot more involved with each other’s lives than cats would tolerate, though we’re learning to live together in harmony, now that we’re settling the island.”
She wanted to ask more about that last comment, but they’d reached the airplane, and everybody was ready to go. Nick ate dinner with her while the brother and sister team got them back into the air. When Nick was finished eating, he went up to the cockpit and sent the other two back one at a time to eat their meals.
Sal talked a bit with them both, but they were trying to eat, and she didn’t really want to make them talk, so she looked out the window and got comfortable. The next thing she knew, she was waking up after a deep doze. The plane was noticeably pitched forward, and Nick was sitting to her left.
“Are we landing already?” she asked, surprised at how groggy she was. She must’ve been sleepier than she’d thought.
“Yeah. We’ll be on the ground in a few minutes. If you look out, you’ll probably get a good view of the island once we’re through the clouds,” he told her.
She looked out, shaking off her lethargy. She wanted to see this island he’d told her about.
Sal wasn’t disappointed with her first vision of Jaguar Island. It was a craggy mountain sticking up out of the sea. Covered in jungle, it was an emerald jewel set in an azure ocean. And it looked just as forbidding as it did magical.
She could see the slopes of the ancient volcano, just under the froth of greenery as they grew closer. A white sandy beach showed on just one side of the island, the rest being made up of sheer drop offs to the sea. There was a dock and a small airstrip below a giant, classically-styled mansion that sat a short distance up the side of the slope that was gentlest on this side of the island.
The brother-sister pilot team set them down gently and then taxied the jet a short distance toward a large hangar that housed several other planes of all shapes and sizes. Jets. Prop planes. She could even see a seaplane bobbing in the water, tied to a nearby dock.
Something about the place made her tingle. As the jet rolled to a stop, she felt something building inside, and anxiety began to roil in the pit of her stomach.
“I don’t know about this,” she murmured to herself, but of course, Nick heard.
He turned back to look at her, stopping what he was doing to give her a questioning look.
“Are you all right? I promise, nobody here will harm you. Far from it.”
Nick looked so earnest, she wanted to believe him, but the feeling inside wasn’t going away. In fact, it was increasing.
“I’m sorry, Nick. I really am. I’m just not sure I can go through with this.” Panic began to set in as a sensation of dread filled her.
“There’s nothing to fear. I promise you.” He tried again, letting the cabin crew depart ahead of them with a single nod. It was just Nick and Sal left on the jet, the cabin door open, letting in a humid, flower-scented breeze.
Sal felt tears gather behind her eyes. There was no way out. She felt something rising that would not be held back, and she dreaded the idea that it might be the heritage she never wanted to acknowledge. Though she had suppressed it all her life, she recognized the sensations of magic.
“I’m so sorry,” was all she could say as she felt it rise higher, nearly overwhelming her.
Nick scowled and knelt in front of her seat, reaching for her hands.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” he whispered as his hands enfolded hers.
And then, it happened.
Sparks. Visible sparks. Red, yellow, orange, white. Pearlescent motes of magic floating on the air. It started like a mini volcanic explosion originating where their hands met, but it didn’t have the destructive power she so greatly feared.
“What the…?” Nick looked at her sharply. “You’re a mage?” His accusation held traces of betrayal, and she felt as if he had slapped her, though it was only with words.
She let go of his hands and turned away, tears streaking down her face.
“I have no magic,” she said, repeating the mantra that she had used for so many years.
“Lie,” he said, his voice harsh. “That was magic, Miss Lane. Even I can see that.” His tone was still rough, but he seemed to be moderating a bit as the first shock wore off. “But you’re not surprised. You know about magic. How could you know about it if you don’t use it? And why are you so deep in denial? Did you hurt someone in the past?”
She shook her head. She never talked about this, but she didn’t see a way out without giving him something.
“Not me. I don’t have magic,” she repeated, knowing it wasn’t entirely true.
“Someone close to you, then,” Nick said, his tone growing even cagier. She had no idea what was going through his mind. He was impossible to read, just at the moment.
Much as it pained her, she would have to give him the truth. At least, some of it.
“My mother,” she whispered. It was hard to break the self-imposed rule she had about never speaking of her mother.
“You mother was a mage?” Nick pushed, relentless.
“A witch. That’s what she calls it,” Sal confirmed, tears leaking out of her eyes. This was painful to discuss. She’d never thought she’d tell anyone about her mother’s problems. She’d never thought anyone could understand.
But Nick might. Maybe.
“Wait a minute. Your mother is alive? All the data I found said that Sullivan Lane was an orphan who had never known her parents.” Now, Nick looked angry. At her? Probably. But possibly also at himself for taking her story at face value. She cringed.
“She’s locked up in a place for the criminally insane,” she admitted in a small voice. “Has been for years. Decades.”
“Criminally insane?” he repeated, putting emphasis on the first word.
“When the magic takes her, it does…horrible things.” She looked into his eyes, seeing the confusion, skepticism and anger there. “I know you think magic isn’t good or evil, but you’re wrong. My mother isn’t evil.” She could hear the pleading tone in her own voice.
After a couple of tense moments where he searched her gaze for only he knew what, Nick sat back on his haunches and gave a great sigh. “So, at best, your mother’s a rogue mage with no control over her wild magic, and you’re in complete denial about your own power and heritage.”
“I don’t have magic,” she repeated her mantra. “I refuse to have magic!”
Her voice got a little shrill, so she clamped down on her escaping emotions, as she had always done. Giving in to strong emotion invited the magic in, which is something Sal refused to do. It wouldn’t take her without a fight.
“Why didn’t you tell me all this before?” Nick asked quietly.
“I don’t talk about my mother. Not ever,” she told him. “I wouldn’t have said anything now, if not for whatever those sparks were.”
“The island is a long-dormant volcano. There’s lots and lots of earth magic here. It seems to have an unexpected influence on people with latent magical power. You’re not the first to have created unexpected sparks.” Nick rubbed his hand over his short hair, a sign of frustration—or perhaps, contemplation. “In fact, maybe they can help sort you out. Honey, you have to realize you can’t go on like this. Denial only works to a certain point, and I think you’ve already left that in the dust.” He got off the floor of the plane, moving to sit beside her. “I think I understand now why that poor mixed-up werewolf thought you could help him. He sensed what you’ve been hiding all this time.”
Sal shook her head, not wanting to believe any of it. Magic was evil, and she wanted no part of it.
Right?
Doubt began to creep in. Nick was the first person she’d ever met who she could talk to about magic and all the things that had scared her for so very long. Maybe he was right? Or, at least, maybe he had more information about the entire problem than she did. Maybe he could help. Maybe it was time to stop living in fear.
After all, if one werewolf saw magic in her and stalked her because of it, there could be others. She certainly didn’t want to deal with this kind of thing on an ongoing basis. Maybe there was a way to stop future problems before they could develop. It was at least worth checking out.
Hesitantly, she came to a decision. She was stuck on this island for now. She didn’t even know if they would let her leave after this latest discovery. She might as well see it through and try to learn what she could about her affliction.
“Do you really think they can help me?” Her own voice sounded pitiful in her ears. This was a low point, for sure.
“I’m confident we can help you. The Jaguar Clan might be small, but we’re mighty, and we have an in with a very powerful mage who works on the side of Light.” Nick winked at her, as if she was supposed to understand what he meant.
“Light? That’s the good guys, right? The cowboys with white hats?” She wanted to make sure, not that she was in a position to do anything about it, even if they weren’t.
“Most definitely. White hats, all the way. That’s the only kind we allow in our territory.” He was smiling again, but she sensed a core of steel running through his words. “But I’m warning you, now, Sal, no more omissions. No more lies.”
“I wasn’t lying,” she defended herself. “I just didn’t tell you everything. To be fair, you didn’t reveal everything to me right away either, did you?”
She could tell by the uncomfortable expression on his face that she had just scored a point. She didn’t like the feeling. Sal wasn’t one to play games, or feel superior when she won an argument. She was more of a peacemaker, happy when she got along with everyone around her.
This was a tricky situation for her. She was in his territory, totally dependent on him for not only hospitality but transportation, as well. If Nick didn’t want to let her off the island, she wasn’t getting off the island. Maybe coming here hadn’t been such a bright idea after all.
Nick couldn’t believe what had just happened. Sal a witch? No fucking way. Lightning didn’t strike twice. Not normally.
Mark had just mated a woman who’d had no idea about her magical heritage. Her father was a mage of great power, but William Howell the Fourth and his daughter, Shelly, were the last of a great line of mages. When Shelly had shown no sign of sharing in the family gift, her father had done everything he could to protect her, including distancing himself from his only daughter and keeping her in the dark about magic and her family’s past achievements.
When Mark had brought Shelly to Jaguar Island, the ancient volcano had sparked her latent magical power. From what Mark had told Nick, it had come as a complete surprise to Shelly. She hadn’t been hiding anything. Shelly truly hadn’t known anything about it.
Sal’s situation was quite different. She knew about magic. Her mother had been committed, for heaven’s sake, due to what sounded like wild, uncontrollable magic. Sal had seen it, Nick had no doubt. She understood how devastating it could be.
He wondered, though, if she had ever seen the good side. Had she ever experienced the wonder of the power she denied? Probably not. The thought made him sad, and determined to help her understand the true nature of magic before she left the island.
That’s supposing everything she had just told him was on the level. If she was lying to him, things would be a lot more complicated.
But, first things first. He had to determine the best way to deal with this new situation. He had intended to put her up at the mansion, among all the other jaguars and guests—Shelly’s father was staying on the island for a while to teach his daughter about her magic. But that plan seemed like a bad idea with this new development.
Shelly was an architect, and she was busy designing new structures that would eventually become the heart of the Clan’s settlement. Right now, though, there was only the mansion that had been built by the non-magical former owner of the island, plus a few outbuildings. Hangars, a warehouse and a boathouse were in this immediate area, around the airstrip and docks. None of them would do. Plus, he didn’t want to put her too close to the temptation of the airplanes and boats. If she wanted to escape the island, this is the only place she could do it from.
No, he needed tighter control over her. At least for the time being. Until he figured out whether or not she was truly a threat to him or his people.
The revelations of the past few minutes had knocked him sideways. Nick had been so certain he’d checked her out fully. He’d been so confident that she would be his mate, and therefore, even if she had dark secrets in her past, they would all resolve easily, so they could begin their life together.
He’d been a fool. He’d been around long enough to know that things didn’t always work out, and what looked perfectly innocent on the surface could hide the darkest evil underneath. Not that he thought Sal was evil, but the things she had told him had definitely roused his suspicions.
The fact that he’d let down his guard so much as to be surprised was telling. A mistake on his part could spell disaster for not just him, but his Alpha and the Clan as a whole. Nick had to be better than this. He had to put the Clan first. Always. There could be no exceptions.
He’d known this his entire life, but he’d been lulled into incompetence by Sal’s presence. Had she done it on purpose? Had she maneuvered him into issuing the invitation into the heart of the Clan’s territory?
Goddess! He’d been such a fool. The thought played over and over in his mind. Nick hadn’t made such a bad mistake in a very long time, but now, he was stuck. He had to fix this. He had to make the best of the situation. Somehow.
A sudden thought occurred to him. There was a somewhat primitive cabin he had used when first surveying the island. It was on the other side of the volcanic caldera, on the opposite side of the island from the mansion. As far away as they could get and still be on the island.
He’d take her there. He’d stay with her there, away from everybody else, until he figured out exactly what kind of threat she posed. She might not like it, but it was the only alternative that made sense right now.
Nick got up and went to the open door of the jet, flagging down Lucinda, who was doing a walk-around of the plane post-flight. He informed her of his change of plans and asked her to arrange for Sal’s luggage to be loaded onto an off-road vehicle. Lucinda looked perplexed, but she didn’t ask questions. Nick was the Beta of the Clan. If he wanted to do things a certain way, that was up to him.