Chapter 2

Jackson looked down at his duffel bag, mentally running through the list of things he needed. He’d packed a few days’ worth of clothes, toiletries, and his passport. His cat was riled up, anxious to get on the way.

There was a knock on the open door, and his brother Holden said, “Are you ready, Jax?”

“Yep.” Jax zipped the bag and grabbed his wallet and cell off the nightstand.

“Melody wished us luck.”

Jax smiled. Their niece was the reason they were able to go find their mate, Honor. Seven months earlier, he and Holden had been in the woods on the September full moon and felt a presence. They’d followed their instincts and found Honor, a female from the pride in Canada, whom they recognized because she’d grown up with them in King, Pennsylvania, with their original pride.

She’d bitten both him and Holden, taking their blood. That action had broken the curse that every female mountain lion was under – thanks to an asshole goddess who cursed them to never want mates – but she’d run off before they could explain. They’d hoped she would come back on her own, but Melody worried that once Honor’s curse had been lifted, the other females would lock her up the way they had Melody. Honor would know that she was Jackson and Holden’s mates, but there was a strong possibility that she wasn’t able to leave the house to come to them.

They headed down the stairs of the three-story boarding house, where he and his brother lived with the rest of the Ashland pride mountain lions. When they reached the landing, Holden nearly crashed into Henry, one of the pride males. Holden’s suitcase tumbled to the floor.

“Shit, sorry,” Henry said.

Holden grabbed the suitcase. “Totally my fault.”

“I’d ask if you were going to work, but judging by the suitcase I guess you’re on your way to Canada?”

Jax nodded. “Melody was able to find what she thinks is the house where she was kept by the females. She really only remembered that it was in Ontario. It took her a week to get down to Ashland, but she was in her shift a lot because she was worried about the females tracking her if she tried to use her passport or anything. When she was searching the different maps like your mate suggested, she recognized North Bay as the name of the town where she caught a bus to the border, and from there she recognized the town of Field, where she’d first come out of her shift to see where she was.”

“She thinks she found the house?”

“Yes.” Jackson nodded.

“Hey, that’s amazing. You’re going to go get her and bring her here?” Henry asked.

“Yes. If we have to break her out, we will.” Holden’s eyes were set with steely determination.

“Good luck,” Henry said, extending his hand to shake theirs. “I don’t remember her very much from when we lived in King, since the females kept to themselves, but if she’s changed like Jilly did, she’ll be a welcome addition to the pride.”

“Hopefully we’ll see you soon,” Jax said.

They hurried from the house. Jax unlocked his truck and pulled the driver’s seat forward, stowing his duffel behind it. Pushing it back into place, he sat down and turned on the engine.

Holden slid into the passenger seat and buckled up.

Jax entered the coordinates of the town near the females’ house into the GPS. They had a buttload of driving to do, but it would be worth it see Honor.

He backed away from the boarding house and turned down the long driveway. Once they reached the street, he headed toward Highway 69.

“I put both our passports in the glovebox,” Holden told him. “When you need a break, let me know and I’ll drive.”

“Thanks,” Jax said. “We can take turns so we can rest along the way. I don’t want to have to stop to sleep; I want to drive straight through.”

“This may be the longest road trip ever,” Holden said.

Thirteen hours to get to their woman. But it would be worth it when they had her in their arms. Jax couldn’t wait to see her again.

We’re coming for you, Honor.

 

* * *

 

Honor was positive she was going to have a nervous breakdown if she didn’t escape the damn house and get to her mates. Her cat was going bonkers, suggesting none-too-silently that she just claw her way through the wall or throw herself out the window to get free. She wanted to tell the noisy, aggressive creature in her subconscious to give her some ideas that didn’t involve bodily harm, but none had come.

At dinner that night, she’d managed to sneak a knife off a plate while clearing the dishes. The cool metal had felt like freedom against her skin as she’d carefully slid it down into her waistband. The curve of the knife tip was wide, and she thought she might be able to use it like a screwdriver to take off her bedroom door hinges.

She made her way back to her room, trying to still the pounding of her heart. As she reached for the knob, a hand on her arm stopped her.

“I saw that,” Gretchen said in a low voice. Gretchen and Julia were the only two females in the pride who didn’t treat her like she was diseased now.

Julia stood with Gretchen, her arms folded. “Let’s talk inside.”

Honor opened the door and walked in. The females followed, and Gretchen shut the door.

“Are you going to kill yourself?” Julia asked.

Honor blinked in surprise. “What?”

“The knife,” Gretchen said. “Why would you steal a knife unless you were going to harm yourself?”

Honor pulled the knife from her jeans. The metal was warm now, but what had felt like hope when she’d snuck it out of the kitchen now turned to despair. “I’m not going to kill myself. I wanted to use it to escape.”

Julia frowned. “How would a dull kitchen knife help you escape?”

Honor walked to the door, put the tip of the knife into one of the hinge screws, and gave it a twist. The screw turned with the knife as she’d hoped it would. Of course, it didn’t matter now, since her plan had been found out.

“Oh, that’s pretty clever,” Gretchen said. “But we can just unlock the door tonight.”

“You can?”

Julia shrugged. “You want to leave, so you should be able to leave. We’ve been telling Victoria that for months, but she wants to keep you here because she thinks there’s something wrong with you.”

“There isn’t anything wrong with me,” Honor said. “But something has changed. I feel different.”

“Different how?” Gretchen asked.

“Like I want what Jilly and Melody have.” Both females were mountain lions and now had mates. They’d been different, too, and it had to do with the males.

Julia made a face, and then sighed. “Well, I don’t get it, but I don’t think it’s right to keep you here. And I’m damn tired of things the way they are now.”

“What do you mean?” Honor asked.

“We were supposed to come back from Indiana and have things get back to the way they used to be. But instead, Victoria took over, and she’s acting as badly as Tanya and her merry band of bitches did before they were turned to dragon ash. I say live and let live. You want to go be with males in Ashland, then knock yourself the hell out.”

Honor’s eyes stung, and she blinked rapidly to dispel the tears. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything,” Gretchen said. “Just pack a bag and be ready to leave. We’ll come let you out after everyone is asleep. Probably after midnight.”

“Thank you.”

“You can thank us when you’re out of the house,” Gretchen said.

“You could come with me. You don’t like it here anymore; you can start over somewhere else.”

“This is our home,” Julia said. “With you gone, we think things will get better with Victoria. And no offense, but if we wanted to live near the males again we’d just go back to King. At least we had our own place there.”

The females left, and Honor sat on the bed, staring at the closed door. She couldn’t believe that they were willing to help her escape, but she wasn’t going to waste the opportunity. Grabbing a backpack from the closet, she filled it with clothing. She had no personal effects in her room, not even any pictures of the other females.

Taking her wallet from the nightstand, she checked the pocket and counted fifty dollars. She didn’t think she could get a bus ticket to the States with that, but she could maybe get close enough. And more importantly, once she was free, she could call the pride and ask Holden and Jackson to come get her. She’d never asked anyone to help her before, but she would now, and she knew they wouldn’t disappoint her.

She put on her hiking boots and set her bag by the door; then she sat on the bed and watched the clock. Midnight couldn’t come fast enough.

 

* * *

 

Holden got out of the truck and stretched. They’d reached the town of Flint and stopped for gas and a bite at a diner. While they waited for their meal, Holden opened his GPS app and looked at the house.

“Melody said that when she lived with them, there were only a handful of females in the house. But after Jilly defected, the females who had been living near King and watching the male pride headed up here. I wish we knew where Honor was in the house.” He stared at the satellite image of the property.

“I just hope it’s the right damn house,” Jax said. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. “If we drove all this way and it’s not the right place or they’ve moved on, I think my damn cat is going to go on strike.”

Holden nodded. His cat had been in a constant state of worry for the last seven months. He was surprised he could even really function, given how much he thought about Honor. He wanted her with them, and safe.

“Do you think she’s scared?” he asked after the waitress dropped off two plates of pancakes and refilled their coffees.

“She’s pretty strong-willed. I remember her being feisty as hell in school.”

They’d all grown up in King and gone to the same high school. “Her dad’s the principal of the high school. I just realized that we probably should have called him and let him know that she’s our mate.”

Jax hummed. “She can call him if she wants, once she’s safely back in Ashland.”

“She might want to go see him, too.”

“All in good time,” Jax said. “First we’ll get her home with us, and then we’ll do whatever she wants.”

“You know what’s weird?” Holden asked as he poured more syrup on his pancakes.

“What?”

“I don’t remember my cat really caring about her when we were growing up. You’d think that since we’re mates, we would have felt that connection to her back in King.”

“I’ve actually been thinking the same thing. I think the curse dampens not only the females’ instincts, but the males, too. Jilly’s mates are panthers and not mountain lions, so they recognized her as their mate.”

Holden mulled that over for a moment. “I asked Dad once if he thought our mother was his mate, and he said he didn’t think so. But if she’d been willing to marry him and make a family, he would have done it.”

“It seems to be the way things go for our people. The males just aren’t aggressive when it comes to their mates.”

“We felt a presence with Honor, though,” Holden said. “We followed whatever our instincts were telling us, and we found her.”

“I wonder if she sensed us.”

“We’ll find out when we get to her,” Holden said.

They finished their meals, cleaned up in the restroom, and got back in the truck.

“It’s almost nightfall,” Jax said. “We’ll drive as close as we can to the house and walk the rest of the way.”

“And then?”

“Then we’ll wait until the house is quiet and break in. Melody said there wasn’t a security system, just locks on the doors. Once we’re inside, we’ll scent for Honor and find her.”

“Hopefully they haven’t installed a security system since then.”

Jax nodded.

Holden was trying to stay optimistic. They’d come this far, and neither of them were willing to leave without Honor. If they had to burn the damn house down to get her out, they would. He just hoped to hell that she wanted to see them as much as they wanted to see her. That one kiss in the woods had been his undoing. He’d thought of nothing else since – his cat clawing him from the inside, anxious to have her in their arms again.

They parked a mile away and waited for nightfall. Once it was dark, they walked to the house, keeping to the trees and staying out of sight. They waited in the darkness until every light was off, the hours slipping by so slowly that he thought he’d go crazy just from waiting. All the second-floor windows had blinds, so they weren’t able to see inside. He’d been hopeful they would see Honor in one of the windows and know her whereabouts for certain, but luck hadn’t been on their side.

As they moved toward the house, they looked for alarms and video cameras, but saw nothing. If the females were worried about someone finding them, it wasn’t apparent.

Just as they drew close to the house, a light came on. He and Jax froze, staring in surprise at Honor, Julia, and Gretchen through the kitchen window. Four other females also stood in the room, all looking furious.

“This doesn’t look good,” Jax said.

“Nope.”

Honor looked panicked, and everything within Holden urged him to protect her.

“I’m going to take a run at the door,” Jax said. He let out a short growl and rolled his neck. “It’s not a security door, so hopefully I won’t break my neck doing it.”

“I’m right behind you,” Holden said.

 

* * *

 

Honor held her breath as the lock clicked on her bedroom door just after midnight. It swung open, and Julia whispered so quietly that if it weren’t for her excellent shifter hearing, she wouldn’t have heard her.

“Come on.”

Honor grabbed her pack and slung it over one shoulder. When she was out of the room, Julia closed and locked the door again. Gretchen made a motion with her hand toward the stairwell, and the three moved silently downstairs. Every little creak and groan as they moved made Honor’s heart beat faster. She was sure that everyone could hear her heart pounding, and that any moment, the females would come rushing from their rooms wondering what the sound was.

The house was dark, and they didn’t turn on any lights as they moved from the stairs to the kitchen. The scents of dinner still lingered in the air. Beyond the large table lay the door to freedom.

The overhead light turned on, the click of the light switch a loud counterpoint to the utter quiet of the house. As she blinked and shielded her eyes, Honor’s heart sank. Victoria and three females stood in the kitchen. They’d been perfectly concealed in the darkness, and now they obscured her path to freedom. She was so close. She knew she’d never have a chance to get away again. They’d kill her, or keep her locked up forever.

“Going somewhere?” Victoria drawled.

“I’m leaving,” Honor said. “Move or I’ll move you.”

Victoria chuckled. “Do you really think you can take me?”

Honor’s fingertips tingled as her cat rose to the forefront. She’d never paid much attention to the beast until she’d been with Holden and Jackson. Their presence had brought her cat out. “Nothing’s going to stop me from getting out of this damn house.”

“Let her leave,” Julia said. “If she doesn’t want to be here, open the damn door.”

“She’s one of us and she’ll stay in the pride. I’m the law,” Victoria said.

Gretchen threw up her hands. “For fuck’s sake. If she doesn’t want to be here, then who the hell cares? I just want things back to the way they used to be. No kidnappings, no prisoners.”

“If you’re not with me, you’re with her, and that makes you a traitor,” Victoria said. She looked at the females with her – Vivian, Lorie, and Raquel – and Honor could see the determination in their eyes. They were with Victoria, which meant Honor would have to face all four of them if this came to a battle.

Fury raced through her. “Get out of my way. Let me go, and you’ll never hear from me again. But if you try to stop me from leaving, I will rain a hell down on this place like you’ve never seen.”

Victoria’s smug smile made Honor’s whole body twitch with rage. “And how will you do anything locked in your bedroom? You’re lucky I let you eat, bitch. Now be a good little female and go back to your room. Unless you want to take us all on.”

A strange silence settled over the room as Honor faced the females. Julia and Gretchen were with her, but she knew they weren’t going to fight. They didn’t want to leave the house or the pride, and their loyalty to her had come to an end.

Claws extended from her fingers; her gums ached as her fangs descended. She uttered a single word, but the intent behind it was deadly: “Move.”

Victoria’s eyes narrowed. She’d just opened her mouth when there was a crashing sound as something heavy hit the door. The hinges pulled away from the doorjamb, wood splintering as it clattered to the floor. The females screamed in surprise, shielding themselves as a roar of fury and possessiveness filled the air.

She would have known that roar anywhere, even though she’d never heard it before. Her cat responded to the sight before her: Jackson, holding his shoulder, stood like a gladiator on the ruined door, his eyes bright amber and his fangs elongated. Behind him, Holden’s hands were tipped with deadly claws and his eyes were the same amber.

“Babe? Let’s go,” Jackson said.

He didn’t have to ask twice. She grasped the backpack’s strap and held it tight to her shoulder, taking his hand and rushing from the house. Holden and Jackson flanked her, keeping pace with her strides as they moved further away. She glanced over her shoulder only once, to see Victoria standing in the doorway, hands on her hips.

“I don’t think it’s over with them,” Honor said.

“We’ll deal with them together if they try to come for you,” Jackson said.

The worry that tightened her chest was replaced by a sweet warmth. She wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.

“Thank you.”

“Thank us when we’re the hell away from here,” Holden said, squeezing her hand.

“You got it.”