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Jake
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WELL USED TO SHOULDERING the mantle of responsibility, Jake strapped the watch Connor had loaned him to his wrist. Winston wasn’t happy that he’d been passed to another leash holder, but his eyes widened when he sensed the hunter’s power. “I say,” he breathed. “Your fae powers are very different from young Connor’s.”
“I imagine they are,” Jake said dryly.
Mirra slipped Brandi’s lighter into her pocket and the pink-haired ghost had to adjust to having a siren for her temporary puppet master. “Will the shifters accept you as their leader?” Mirra asked.
Jake slung his arm around her shoulders and turned her towards the dining room where some of the alphas were still eating dinner. There were far too many for them all to be able to fit inside. Most were gathered near their tents, eating and sleeping in shifts. “Let’s go find out, sweetheart,” he said, oozing southern charm.
Mirra was aware of the jealous glares she received when they stepped through the door. The two female werewolves who were vying for the hunter’s attention glowered at her in warning. Straightening her spine and stepping away from the hunter, Mirra made sure her best assets were on display. Eyes dropped to her breasts that were showcased in a tight black dress in either admiration or envy and sometimes both.
“Quin has been called away on an emergency,” Jake said, raising his voice above the hubbub. “She’s placed me in charge in her absence. If anyone has a problem with that, say so now.”
Xavier Vale rose to his feet and lumbered over to the hunter. He was a good three inches taller and far larger in sheer muscle mass. “I have a problem with it,” he said. “I’m Quintessa’s father and I should lead in her stead due to our blood link.”
“You are her father in name only,” Mirra said, hair stirring slightly in a magical wind as her anger rose. “You rejected her, then tried to murder her. You are not fit to lead.”
Xavier opened his mouth to unleash a tirade. “Don’t start,” Jake said in a tone that made everyone in the room suddenly wary and checking their weapons. “I don’t care what your ties to Quin are,” he added, staring the werewolf in the eye. “She left me in charge and I’ve accepted the burden of leadership. I’m more than qualified to handle things in Quin’s absence. I’ve been hunting monsters for over fifty years and I’ve killed more than you’ve ever seen in your lengthy lifetime.”
“That can’t be possible,” one of the alphas said in disbelief. “You barely look thirty.”
“I’m a lot older than I look,” he replied with a grim smile.
“What are you?” one of the werewolves who had been flirting with him asked.
“I’m half fae,” he admitted, hooking his thumbs through his belt loops.
“You’re a fairy?” Xavier said with a derisive chuckle. “I’m not going to let one of your kind lead us into battle.”
“Is that so?” Jake asked in a deceptively calm voice. Anyone who knew him would know he was treading the line of losing his temper.
“I’m taking over as leader,” Xavier said, scanning the room to look for opposition before returning to the half-fae hunter. “Unless you want to challenge me?”
Jake smiled again and Mirra took two rapid steps backwards. She could sense his intent even before he went into action. Moving so rapidly it was like an optical illusion, Jake swept the alpha’s legs out from under him. He flipped the shifter over while he was falling, then slammed him face down onto the floor. He had his Colt pressed against the back of Xavier’s head before anyone could leap to his aid. “I win,” he said softly and cocked his gun. “My gun is loaded with silver bullets. I’ve killed enough rogue were-creatures to know that emptying it into your skull will kill you.”
Angry murmurs sounded that he’d slain their kind, but no one voiced their displeasure out loud.
“Submit to the fairy, Xavier,” his second urged. “He’s about a heartbeat away from blowing your brains all over the floor.”
“It would leave a nasty stain and I’m really not looking forward to cleaning that up,” Roderick said morosely. Brandi let out a snigger and some of the tension eased out of the room. Ari had included all of the new arrivals in the spell that would allow them to communicate with the ghosts.
“I accept your leadership,” Xavier grated grudgingly.
Jake immediately released him and put his gun away. He offered the werewolf his hand and helped him to his feet. “Xavier, you’re second in charge,” he said, to the surprise of everyone, including the alpha he’d just bested. “If anything happens to me, lead the group to take down as many of the hybrids as you can.”
Accepting the olive branch as gracefully as he could, the alpha nodded in acceptance. With forced nonchalance, he sat back down and resumed eating his meal.
Mirra’s mother sauntered over to Jake as he headed for the kitchen. “That was surprisingly diplomatic of you,” she said, slipping her arm through his.
He slanted the exotically beautiful woman a look, glad his fae power counteracted her magical wiles. “I’m not always a patient man, but I’ve learned to hold my temper when I have to.”
“I believe I would like to see you lose control, Jake Everett,” she purred and pressed her breast against his arm suggestively. While she wasn’t as large-breasted as her daughter, she was still more than enough for most men.
“Mother!’ Mirra hissed from behind them. “Stop trying to seduce Jake!”
“Sorry, dear,” the older siren said over her shoulder. “Have you already staked your claim on him? Can I finally expect a granddaughter soon?”
“You know our kind can’t mate with other supernatural creatures,” Mirra said, but her cheeks had gone pink.
Chuckling, Mayra patted Jake on the arm, then released him. “I’m just teasing you,” she said and put her arm around Mirra’s waist. “I’ll try to remain patient until you’re ready to be a mother.”
Mirra grimaced, but didn’t push her mother away. She cut a look at the hunter, admiring the way his jeans clung to his butt. She let out a small sigh, wishing he was a normal human. He was exactly the sort of man she wanted to impregnate her, but her biological urges would have to wait until after their war was over.
The kitchen was full of shifters when they entered it. They made way for Jake as he headed for the coffee machine. Ari had gotten her love of the brew from him, although she used cream and he took it black and without sugar. He made the two sirens coffee as well, then they moved to a corner of the room to talk.
“It will be dark in Russia soon,” Mayra said, looking upwards as if she could see the sky through all the layers of concrete and metal that lay above them.
“Will Harrow keep sending out his hybrids now that the mask has been repaired?” Mirra asked.
Jake shrugged, then took a swig of coffee before responding. “I think so, sweetheart. He and his master will want to add to the chaos that is raging through Europe. It’ll distract the humans from their true agenda when they eventually clash with the witch.”
“The druids will most likely have magic that will protect them from the Dread Wraiths,” Mayra added. “They have been pretending to be the witch’s servants for three centuries. She has taught them many spells through her vampire lackeys that have added to their knowledge. She could have unwittingly sealed her own doom in the process.”
“Serves her right,” Rudy said as he appeared beside them. He wore a deeper scowl than usual.
“What’s going on with you?” Jake asked his little sidekick.
“I have to leave,” the leprechaun said grumpily.
“Leave?” Mirra repeated. “We’re in the middle of a war. What can be so important that you have to go?”
“It’s a family thing,” he replied vaguely, then tilted his head back to look up at Jake. “I’ll try to return before you’re all wiped out by the witch and her wraiths, but don’t count on it.”
“Take care of yourself, Rudy,” Jake said, bending to offer his hand.
Rudy solemnly shook hands with the hunter, momentarily choked up. With a final ogle at the sirens’ breasts, the tiny man vanished.
“Where did the leprechaun go?” Brandi asked as she and Winston joined them.
“He has a family matter to attend to,” Jake replied, then checked his watch. “We’d better check the news. The hybrids will most likely be popping through their portals any minute now.”
Herding the sirens and ghosts towards the door, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Ari and her friends were in trouble. He wanted to go to their aid, but Rudy had vanished and neither of the remaining two ghosts had been to Stephanie’s Archives. He’d been left in charge of the army and he didn’t trust Xavier to step up in his place. It had been a diplomatic move to choose the alpha to be his second in charge, but he didn’t have much faith in the man at all. Xavier Vale craved glory and he would walk over the bodies of as many humans as he had to in order to achieve it.
