CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Aren’t we going to that big house up there?” Sal asked when Nick had her and her belongings in the four-wheel drive vehicle and was already underway.
The path he was taking didn’t look like they were headed toward the mansion on the hill. She didn’t see any other options. The jungle canopy was pretty dense. Maybe there were guest accommodations hidden somewhere else among the trees.
Or maybe he was taking her to her doom. Sal mentally kicked herself for not thinking this through. Of course, she should have realized that someone like Nick—a freaking shapeshifter, for heaven’s sake—would be able to see through her. She hadn’t lied, exactly, but she definitely hadn’t been honest with him. Heck, she hadn’t been honest with anyone. Ever.
Her mother’s fate and Sal’s own denial of magic was her deepest, darkest secret. She’d never told anyone before, and she wished she hadn’t had to reveal it now. Magic had only ever caused problems for her and her family. Why had she thought it would be any different now?
Foolish, Sal. Really, really foolish.
Fate was playing with her. On the mainland, she might’ve had some control, but she’d given it all up by agreeing to stay on this private island. She had no way off, until Nick provided one. She was essentially a prisoner—of her own making.
She should have seen it coming, but she’d been distracted by everything that had happened. And, admittedly, by the man. Nick had a way of getting right under her skin and into her mind until all she could think about was him.
Attraction was a mild word to describe her feelings. Obsession was closer to the mark, and it scared her. Put her way off kilter. Made her make foolish decisions.
“No, not yet,” Nick finally answered her question after a slight delay. “There’s a cabin out a ways that’s probably better for our purposes. It’s private, and it’s well camouflaged. The perfect little hideaway.”
What he was describing could as easily be thought of as a prison. A convenient place to hide her until he decided her fate. She might never return from such a place. Or—maybe—it could be just what he described. A private getaway where she could be alone while she figured things out.
He must have seen concern on her face. After glancing at her, he went on.
“I’ll call Mark and inform him of our problem. I don’t want to expose him or his new bride to rogue magic, just in case the island has more surprises in store for us.” He shifted gears and turned onto a steep trail that went almost straight up the slope of the mountain. “This place is highly magical, and it’s happened before that the ancient volcano woke a latent magic. Luckily, we have a mage visiting here, right now, who might be able to give us some advice. There’s also a wise woman who is part of our Clan. She might be able to help, as well. Once Mark hears your story, he’ll send someone to check things out. Never fear.”
But fear was her constant companion as they drove the rest of the way to the cabin in silence. Her mind was whirling a mile a minute, but she did her best not to let it show. She tried to resign herself to her fate. What will be will be, she kept reminding herself. She was too far in it now. There was no turning back.
There hadn’t been a chance to turn back since they’d left Texas. If only she’d been thinking clearly. If only she’d stopped there to puzzle things through. She could’ve spent time among the werewolves, maybe, regrouping. Or she could have turned around and went back to California, taking her chances with what would happen next.
Why, oh, why, had she listened to Nick? Was a handsome face and a compelling stare enough to make her lose all common sense? Apparently so, she thought with self-aimed disapproval.
Nick had smiled at her, and she’d lost all touch with her reality. The harsh reality that had told her to stay away—far away—from all things even remotely magical. Nick was a freaking shapeshifter, for goodness sake! What had possessed her to think that being around him would be safe?
Nick drove straight to the cabin, his mind working overtime. How had he let her sneak under his defenses? Had he been thinking with his cock and not his brain? Yeah, he admitted to himself in disgust, he definitely had.
The only thing that would have made it worse is if he believed she had done it deliberately. His instincts told him that what she had finally admitted about her past was true. She wasn’t lying to him now—though, to be accurate, she hadn’t really been lying to him in the first place. She’d simply omitted to tell him about certain key facets of her family’s history.
If he hadn’t been distracted by her beauty and his attraction to her… If he’d been doing his job properly… He should have uncovered the falsehood in her background data. He should have been able to discover that not only was her mother alive, but that she was an inmate in a facility for the criminally insane, of all things.
How could he have missed it? That was exactly the kind of thing he excelled at discovering. His skills at investigation, background checks, creating secure perimeters, and good old-fashioned bodyguard work were what had allowed him to rise to the rank of Beta. The fact that he’d screwed up so badly with Sal made him rethink his worthiness for the position.
He was going to have to admit his failing to Mark. It would be well within the Alpha’s right to strip Nick of his rank and put someone else in his place. Nick would take his lumps if it meant better security for the Clan. He always put the Clan first.
But it would definitely be a blow—a hard lesson to his ego, and perhaps irreparable damage to his friendship with Mark. Nick hated putting his friend in this position.
They finally pulled up in front of the cabin, and Nick was grateful that he had insisted on keeping the old structure. He’d even sent crews out to renovate and repair the place. It was sound now. Waterproof, as it hadn’t been just a few months ago, and equipped with all the modern conveniences a small generator and a supply of fuel could afford.
Some of the security patrols rotated in and out of here on their rounds. If they wanted to patrol in human form, the cabin was always ready to accommodate off-shift sleep periods for the lone cats who prowled the slopes of the mountain.
Nobody was up here right now. Nick had checked before setting out from the airstrip. He’d also put the word out that the cabin would be occupied and should be added to the security rounds. Sal wouldn’t be aware of the added eyes watching her, but Nick felt it was important to make up for his oversight. Sal had already fooled him once. He’d be a complete idiot not to seek help in watching her when it was readily available.
He wasn’t going to do this without backup. She would probably never know that she was under such close surveillance, but it reassured Nick to know that, even if his judgment was clouded by her presence—or her magic—other jaguars would be watching, ready to leap in if he needed help.
Nick didn’t truly think Sal posed any sort of serious threat to the Alpha couple or the Clan as a whole, but he was through taking chances. His judgment where she was concerned had already been proven faulty. He wasn’t going to go it alone when he was on Jaguar Island, with the support of the Clan behind him.
He stopped the Jeep in front of the door and shut off the engine. He just sat there for a moment, his hands on top of the steering wheel, his eyes facing forward, staring out at the jungle. Finally, he breathed a deep sigh, allowing the humid air to comfort him. This was his habitat. His home.
“I’m truly sorry about all this,” Nick said, not looking at her. “It might only be for a few days. I just want to make sure everything checks out.”
“You want to make sure I’m not a danger to your people,” she said in a somber tone that made him turn his head to look at her. “I get it,” she went on, holding up one hand palm outward toward him. “Magic has turned my life upside down more than once. It’s a curse, and I’m sorry to have brought it to your island. That was never my intention. Believe me.”
“Honey, you didn’t bring it here. Magic is all around us. All the time. It’s just more concentrated right here, where the earth energy is still so strong.” Nick felt conflicted. His instinct was to comfort her, but he was wary of more unintentional deceit. He really had no way of knowing if she was being completely honest with him, now, and her track record in that area wasn’t the greatest.
“I won’t pretend to understand it,” she told him. “I’ve never understood it. I’ve never really wanted to. I’ve just prayed for it to be gone, but it always comes back and ruins things all over again.” She shook her head. “This is the first time it’s happened to me, though. Usually, it’s my mother who ends up in trouble.” He thought he saw a tear roll down her far cheek before she turned away. “I never wanted this, but I guess it’s finally caught up with me. My life is over.”
Her words hit him hard, causing pain in the region of his heart. She sounded so dejected, so hopeless. It hurt him to know that he’d brought her to this low point. Maybe indirectly, but if he hadn’t pushed her to come to the island, this might never have happened. He didn’t know what to say to lighten her mood.
“Come on,” he said finally, deciding that actions spoke louder than words. He climbed out of the Jeep and grabbed her suitcase. “Let me show you around.”
Nick got Sal settled in the cabin, showing her the few amenities in a matter of a few minutes. He then excused himself to go outside and place a few phone calls while she unpacked and made herself comfortable in her temporary home.
By the time he returned to the cabin, he had lined up a few visitors for later. Much as he wanted to, he couldn’t just leave her alone with whatever magic had sparked on arrival. Someone with more knowledge about such things than Nick had would have to evaluate her and any potential threat she might pose.
It wasn’t long before their first guest arrived. Nick heard the Jeep coming and went out to meet it. One of his best men, a dark-haired jaguar named Mario, who was popular with the ladies, had volunteered to drive the visiting mage out to the cabin. Nick gave Mario the subtle hand signal that told him to wait while Nick escorted William Howell the Fourth, their new Alpha female’s father and high-powered human mage, into the cabin.
“Sullivan Lane, this is Mr. Howell. He has probably forgotten more about magic than I will ever know. I’d like for you to talk with him, if you will,” Nick asked politely, though all three of them knew she really had no choice.
Sal reached out a hand to make the mage’s acquaintance and nearly jumped as sparks shot from her hand to the older man’s. Sal looked horrified. Howell seemed intrigued.
“My, you do have some power, don’t you?” Mr. Howell said almost absently as he regarded his fingers. “That stings,” he went on, smiling at her. “How about you?”
Sal shook her hand a few times, her expression guarded. “Yeah, it tingles almost painfully,” she agreed. “Sorry. I have no control over it, though this has never happened to me before. Not until I came here.”
Howell shook his head, his expression friendly, but also curious. “I’m not surprised. This island is in a unique position. Lying smack dab along a ley line, if I’m not mistaken, and I believe the caldera of the volcano is a nexus point where earth magic spewed forth in ancient times to form this little bit of land. If I was a superstitious man, I might almost believe the island was created by Mother Earth with the jaguar people in mind. It’s the perfect setting for them. Healing and protective. But, for humans like you and me, it has a tendency to wake things up that had been sleeping peacefully.” He moved into the cabin and took the seat Nick gestured toward, still talking to Sal. “You’ve never used magic before, you say?”
Sal sat down opposite Howell, and Nick stood near the door, keeping one eye on Mario, who was scanning the perimeter, and one on the fascinating conversation happening inside. Nick had expected Mark to be their first visitor, but Howell was a smarter choice, by far. Nick just hadn’t realized that Mark had grown to trust his new father-in-law so much while Nick was away in Hollywood. Apparently, he’d missed a great deal while he’d been on his mission for the Clan.
“I’ve been in denial, I guess,” Sal stated, her tone making her sound very depressed. “My mother has had episodes of wild magic most of her life. When it happens, it makes her do bad things. Things that eventually led to her being locked up in a home for the criminally insane.”
Howell shook his head, his expression speaking of sorrow and concern. “That’s truly unfortunate. I suppose you believe all magic is evil as a result of your experiences?”
Sal nodded. “I don’t want it. I’ve never wanted it. Not after what it did to my mother.”
“First, my dear,” Howell said in a fatherly way, sitting forward so he was a little bit closer to her. “Magic is neither good nor evil in its raw form. It’s what we do with it. In your mother’s case, I suspect she never received any training, and as a woman of great power… You know, the old saying is as true for us as it is for regular humans—with great power, comes great responsibility. In your mother’s case, mages of high ability absolutely must be trained. If they are not, the magic they possess can be uncontrollable, and terrible things can happen, as I believe happened with your mother.”
Nick was pleased to see that Sal was listening. For the first time since the sparks had appeared on the plane, someone was getting through to her.
“You really think so?” she asked, a small ray of hope sounding in her voice.
“I’d need to meet her and do some investigating of the circumstances surrounding her imprisonment, but my theory makes the most sense, barring any unknown information at this time. I can promise you, right now, that I will look into her circumstances. Perhaps there is something I can do to help her.”
Sal’s eyes widened, and that little ray of hope grew. “Thank you, Mr. Howell. I’m glad to pay for anything that might help her. I’ve been using my earnings to help make her life a little more comfortable, even in that place where they’re keeping her. They allow me to supply soft clothing and bedding. It’s not a prison, per se, but a private clinic with bars on the windows and multiple locks on the doors. The court ordered her to be held in a facility, but as I began to earn more money, I was able to improve the location and amenities. She also has to talk with doctors all the time, which I think is a good thing, since the consequences of the magical episodes have left her with nightmares and a lot of guilt. The therapy helps with that, at least.”
Nick’s heart softened when he heard the true love for her parent in Sal’s voice. He hadn’t realized where all her money was going. He’d been impressed that she hadn’t blown her fortune on fast cars and ridiculous clothing, but he’d had no idea of the responsibility weighing her down. She’d spent her money making her mother more comfortable. If that wasn’t a noble cause, Nick didn’t know what was.
As the conversation turned more technical about magic and the sensations Sal had been experiencing since arriving on the island, Nick took a moment to go outside and have a word with Mario. He wanted tighter patrols overnight. Nick, himself, would be staying in the cabin with Sal, but he was counting on his security people to patrol the perimeter, just in case Sal was able to sneak by him.
It shouldn’t be possible, but then again, he had missed her innate magic. If he’d blundered that badly already, he wasn’t going to take any chances that she could fool him again.
When Nick returned to the cabin just a few minutes later, he walked in on a surprising sight. Howell had somehow coaxed Sal into generating sparks again, this time held between her two hands. She was holding them, palms facing each other, and a glinting ball of energy was contained in the space between them.
Sweet Mother of All, she was already generating energy balls. He knew such things could be thrown with deadly accuracy by mages of evil intent. He shot Howell a questioning look, very concerned about this turn of events.
“It seems…” Howell said to him in a calm voice, his gaze staying on Sal even as he directed his words toward Nick. “Miss Lane is a natural.”
Nick wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that. A natural what? Destructive mage? Fireball thrower? Offensive power?
Howell didn’t give him a chance to respond. He merely redirected his attention to Sal. “Good,” he told her. “Now, let it dissipate. The way I showed you.”
Before Nick’s eyes, the energy began to fade. He’d never seen anything like it, and the burgeoning control she must have achieved in order to do it impressed him. She could douse the sparks now, without releasing them to potentially do harm. That was a hell of an improvement for just a few minutes of instruction.
“You sure you never did this before?” Nick asked her, unable to keep the suspicion out of his tone.
Sal looked hurt when she met his gaze. “Of course not. I’ve done all I could to keep magic as far away from me as possible, all my life. This is totally new to me, and definitely not welcome.” She sighed, softening her tone. “But, if I have to deal with this, I will. Mr. Howell has been kind enough to teach me a few things, which have already made a positive impact. I just might survive this, if I can manage to control it.”
“Of course you will, my dear,” Howell said in a joyful tone. “Magic has been used by mortals for centuries. You will learn to control it and be able to have a normal life. What happened to your mother is a tragedy, but it’s important you realize that it was preventable, if only she’d had the proper instruction.”
“Could she learn now?” Sal asked, the ball of energy completely gone as she lowered her hands.
“Possibly,” Howell answered. “But, to know for certain, I would have to meet her. Perhaps that is something we could arrange for later, after your visit to the island is complete. I haven’t been out to Hollywood in many years. I think I would enjoy a little trip. Especially if it meant we could help an unfortunate victim of her own power.” He shook his head again, a sad expression on his face.
Howell stood and dusted imaginary lint off his sleeve. “Well, that’s enough for now. I want you to practice what I’ve shown you, and if you have the least discomfort, I want you to call me, no matter what time it is. I’m just a short Jeep ride away, staying up at the mansion to visit with my daughter and new son-in-law. She’s learning about magic, too, so perhaps you’ll have something in common when you get a chance to meet.”
Nick frowned. Right now, he wasn’t sure if Sal would ever be cleared to meet their new Alpha female, Mark’s mate, Shelly. But he didn’t say anything. He had to see how things went with Sal first. Only after a bit more observation would he make the determination as to whether or not she could be trusted around the heart of the Clan.
Howell left a few minutes later, after shaking hands—no sparks this time—with Sal and Nick in farewell. Mario left, driving Howell away but nodding to Nick in a way that let him know his orders had been passed along and were in the process of being implemented.
“This is fun, but I really need to stretch my legs,” Sal said when he turned back toward the main part of the cabin.
The original structure had increased in size with the addition of two small bedrooms and a full bath attached by doorways to the main room. The cabin had been decorated with modern furnishings, and one wall had been turned into a small kitchenette, complete with electric stove, pantry storage and a mini refrigerator. It was a comfortable place, but after the long flight, Nick could definitely understand the desire to walk around outside for a bit.
“If you don’t mind company, I’ll go with you. It’s pretty easy to get turned around in the jungle, and we deliberately keep it kind of wild out there. You might also stumble across some of my Clan brothers and sisters in their fur, and I wouldn’t want them to startle you.” Nick hoped for her agreement. He would hate to have to insist, but he would do so, if necessary.
“Sure. I could use a guide,” she answered casually.
She stood, reaching above her head, stretching the long, luscious lines of her body. Nick had to look away as his libido kicked into high gear.
He kept himself on a short leash while they walked around the perimeter of the cabin. He pointed out some of the local flowers and plants. He also noticed some of his security team stalking through the jungle in their cat forms, but Sal seemed not to see them. Nick hadn’t really expected her to be able to pick out a jaguar in the jungle, but he watched her closely, just in case.
By the time they got back from their gentle stroll through the countryside, another vehicle was pulling up in front of the cabin. If his nose didn’t deceive him, Nick surmised someone in the kitchens back at the mansion had taken pity on them and sent provisions.
Sure enough, it was young Janice at the wheel of the all-terrain vehicle. Her mother, Marie, was the chef who always cooked for the Alpha. Mark took Marie with him wherever he went around the world. She was his personal chef, and one of the many lines of defense that kept the billionaire businessman and Alpha of the jaguar Clan safe.
Nick went to meet Janice and help her unload the huge basket of food that had been strapped to the back of her four-wheeler. Janice didn’t linger, though he could tell she was curious about Sal. Still, word must have reached her that their newest guest was off limits for the moment. Janice simply handed off the supplies and got back on her all-terrain vehicle, turning it around in a tight circle before heading back the way she had come.
Nick carried the big basket into the cabin. Sal had already gone in, probably realizing that Nick wasn’t going to be making introductions this time. He tried to ignore the hurt look on her face. It couldn’t be helped. He still didn’t have enough data to make a sound judgment on whether or not Sal posed a danger to the Clan.
Sighing, he set about putting away the groceries. The little refrigerator had reached temperature and was more than ready for the covered dishes and perishables that had been included in the care package. Nick also found two of Marie’s famous gourmet sandwiches, along with a few readymade side dishes. He set those on the table in the small kitchen area. It was close enough to dinnertime that they would both probably enjoy a meal.
The Texas takeout had been hours ago, and as the sun started to set, they sat down to share the catered meal at the small table.