Rafe ended the call and pressed his foot to the accelerator. The news Devin had delivered stirred Rafe’s anger, leaving him vibrating with rage.
Jon was in town. The male who’d kidnapped Nina and killed their father.
Rafe didn’t want to believe it, but Devin had seen Jon’s lion. Devin recognized Jon, even if he didn’t smell him. At all. There was no heavy, lingering floral scent as had surrounded Seth and Levi or anything out of the ordinary for that matter. If Devin hadn’t gotten a visual confirmation, Jon would’ve escaped detection.
The only conclusion was that Jon was chemically masking his scent. There was only one way to do that—with the drug made exclusively for Royals. Each Royal who used it had to register with the government, providing fingerprints each time they obtained a new supply.
The general worry was that those who used the drug would take advantage of the obscurity it offered. If a shifter took enough of it, all traces of scent would be eliminated, not just their animals’ scent. It’d make them invisible…by scent at least. If they wore gloves, their identity would be nearly impossible to uncover.
They’d be able to commit crimes and get away with them.
How had Jon gotten his hands on the Royal’s scent-eliminating drug?
Rafe’s growls filled the car, warning him how very close he was to losing control. He needed to calm down, but he wouldn’t until he held Jasmine in his arms. Saw Megan. Knew they were safe.
He slowed the car and pulled behind Devin’s vehicle. A few leaves and branches remained on the road, but the uprooted tree that had caused the accident was pushed into the woods. Rafe glanced from the thick trunk to the broken and crushed bushes next to it. Josh’s SUV was sandwiched between two trees at the bottom of the small embankment. If it had hit either, the accident might’ve been worse. Possibly fatal.
He scanned the woods for Jasmine. There was no sign of her.
Rafe jumped from his car. Her scent hit him. She was close. He followed the smell around Devin’s SUV and into the woods on the opposite side of the accident.
Rafe spotted them near a group of boulders. Megan sat on one, and Devin was crouched on the ground in front of her, but it was the sight of Josh with his arms around Jasmine that brought out Rafe’s primal side.
His cats snarled and slammed into him, demanding to be set free. Their possessiveness fed Rafe’s. Sharpened nails extended from his fingers.
He quickened his pace, and Devin moved closer to Jasmine and Josh.
“Back off, Devin.”
Devin shook his head and blocked Rafe with his body. “Not with that look on your face.”
Rafe took in Devin’s widened stance and hands held loosely at his sides. He blew out a slow breath. “Jazz is in no danger from me.”
“It’s not your female I’m worried about.”
Rafe glanced at Jasmine. Her guarded expression helped him rein in his temper. She didn’t trust him. The truth was stamped on to her face. Why would she? She’d just discovered the male she’d allowed into her body was a shifter.
“Jasmine, come here.” Rafe pointed to the spot in front of him.
Josh pushed her behind him. “No. Jazz isn’t going to you.”
“Yes. She is. We need to talk.”
“Do it from over there.”
That was it. Rafe strode forward. One way or another, he would hold her. He needed Jasmine’s scent in his lungs. It was the only way to calm his cats who demanded Josh be put in his place.
“Stop it, both of you. I’m coming.” She ducked under Josh’s arm and walked to Rafe. “You lied to me.”
“I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell you the truth.”
“It’s how you look at it, right?”
“Yes.”
She sighed and shook her head. “What’s going on? Who is that crazy guy who just tried to kill us?”
Rafe glanced from Jasmine to Megan. “I promise to explain everything but not now.” He blew out a breath. “I know it’s asking a lot, but I need you to trust me.”
“I’m willing to listen to you.”
But she didn’t trust him. Was that what she implied? No. He needed her trust, especially with Jon in town.
“I sent Kade to guard your boys and had Devin watching over Megan. If I’d meant to take the kids, I could’ve at any time.” He narrowed his eyes. “That’s what you were afraid of. That’s why you left me this morning. Isn’t it?”
“Do you blame me?”
“No, I don’t, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth.”
“I was going to call. I just needed…”
“To make sure your kids were safe.”
She nodded.
He held his hand out to her. “Come here. I want to hold you.”
Jasmine walked closer. The moment she was within arm’s reach, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and tucked her against his chest. “What happened at the hotel?”
“I called the boys and—”
“In the lobby.” The reason she’d left him was important too, but her safety came first.
She tipped her head to glance into his face. “Some guy gave me a hard time.”
“Hard time? Yeah, he was trying to force…” Josh glanced at Megan. “He wouldn’t leave Jazz alone.”
Rafe met Josh’s gaze. The unspoken clarification was stamped on his expression. The guy had harassed Jasmine. Touched her. “You made sure he did leave her alone?”
Josh’s sharp nod answered him.
His tiger’s snarl echoed in Rafe’s head. He blocked it out. The aggression wouldn’t do him any good after the fact. Neither would regret. All he could do was focus on the outcome—Jasmine was safe. No thanks to him.
“What did this man look like?” Rafe asked.
“Brown hair. Brown eyes. Built. Maybe in his late forties.” Josh shrugged. “He was shorter than me. Five-ten, maybe.”
Josh’s description could’ve been any number of humans, but the timing suggested Jon had been the one who’d touched Jasmine.
Jasmine had been in Jon’s grasp. He could’ve killed her before Rafe even knew a threat existed. Rafe pillowed his head on hers and lowered his voice. “He held you. As close as I am now. Then tried to hurt you.”
“The…the shifter Devin scared away? It was him?” She tilted her head. “The guy from the hotel.”
“Yes. I think so.”
“Do you know him?”
“Yes.”
And Rafe would make sure Jon didn’t get a second chance at Jasmine. The coward would try too. He’d hated Rafe a century ago, simply because Rafe had been born a Royal. Only, Rafe hadn’t known the extent of Jon’s hatred until it was too late.
The conversation that night Jon had beheaded Rafe’s father had started innocently enough. Jon had found his first gray hair. At four hundred, he’d begun to age and wanted to stop the natural process. Jon had brought up the mating laws involving Royals. It was widely known that when a male Royal mated a human or single shifter female, she shared in her mate’s immortality. Jon had wondered if it worked the same for a female Royal and a male human or single shifter.
Rafe had told Jon not to get any ideas. It’d been tried several times. A Royal female couldn’t form the same bond a Royal male could. Their gods and goddesses had deemed it so. Female shifters were meant to share in their mate’s strength, not the other way around. And immortality was the greatest strength anyone could possess.
Gender equality didn’t exist in the shifter world.
Jon had gotten angry. He’d said the gods had forsaken the single shifters. That it wasn’t fair to favor the Royals over them. He deserved immortality too.
He’d stormed off, but not before he wished Rafe would get to experience his share of death, even if it would never be his own. Jon had made good on his promise too.
Devin cleared his throat, pulling Rafe out of his grim thoughts. “We should go.”
“Yes.” Rafe tucked Jasmine into his side and led the way back to their cars. “Let’s go collect your boys.”
At the roadside, he picked up the purple car seat that sat on the ground next to Devin’s vehicle and walked toward Rafe’s SUV.
“No,” Megan said with a shake of her head. She planted little fists on her hips and glared at Rafe, then faced Josh. “I’m not going with him.” She motioned behind her. “He didn’t talk nice to you. I don’t like that.”
“You don’t have to go with him.” Josh yanked the seat from Rafe’s hands and handed it to Devin.
“No biggie, kid. You can ride with me.” Devin crouched in front of Megan. He held up the car seat. “Do you know how this thing works?”
“Let me help.” Jasmine pushed away from Rafe.
Josh stepped next to Rafe while Jazz installed the car seat. “Let me make this very clear. Devin explained briefly what we’re up against. After what happened today, I know I’m out of my element. That doesn’t mean I’ll blindly trust you or your friends.”
“You have no choice but to trust us.”
“Doesn’t mean I’m happy about it.” Josh leveled a hard look at Rafe. “Betray me, and I will find a way to destroy you.”
Rafe nodded and matched the warning glare. “Then here is your warning—come between me and Jasmine, and I will destroy you.”
A grin spread over Josh’s face that didn’t reach his eyes. “I won’t have to. She’ll come to me the first time you two fight.”
Jasmine glanced between them. “Everything okay?”
Josh smacked Rafe on the back. “Sure. Just some male bonding.”
Rafe bit back the growl. He held a hand out to Jasmine. She took it without hesitation. He flashed Josh a pleased smile. Josh scowled, and Rafe chuckled.
“If the two of you are done”—Devin stepped next to them—“I’m going to go pick up Kade and the cubs so we can get out of this town.”
“What?” Jasmine looked between them. “You’re not taking my boys anywhere.”
“It’s too dangerous here. The children will be safer back at our place,” Devin reasoned.
“No!” She fisted Rafe’s shirt. “Please, don’t let him take my boys.”
He ran a hand over her loose hair. “You’re coming too. I’m not leaving without you.”
She stepped back. “Excuse me?”
“You’re moving home with me.” Rafe looked to where Josh stood near Megan. The little girl met Rafe’s gaze. She might only be a child, but her protective instincts were strong. Definitely a dominant. There’d be no splitting her from her human family. “Josh will have to come to.”
“I am not moving anywhere and neither is Josh.” She waved an arm out to indicate the road next to them. “This is our home. We both have businesses here. Friends.”
“You’ve attracted the attention of an evil man. Even if we don’t catch him, you and your kids will always be in danger.” Rafe mimicked her encompassing wave. “This backwoods town is the only reason you were able to live unnoticed by the shifter community, but now you’ve been spotted. You won’t survive the week without my pride’s protection.”
“No.” Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest. “I am not moving anywhere.”
Rafe sighed. “Be realistic—”
“I am. I only met you a few days ago. That’s not long enough for me to blindly give up everything for you or to put my boys’ lives completely in your hands.”
“But you’re in danger.”
“I understand that, and if it was only me, I’d leave with you. It’s not. I need to make sure you’re not more of a risk to Seth and Levi than we’d face if we just took off, destination unknown.”
“And while you’re making that decision, you’ll be at risk.”
“Then you can stay here and protect us. I won’t just leave with you.” Jasmine dropped her arms and took a step forward. “End of discussion. Those are your choices.”
“Kade won’t like it,” Devin chimed in.
No, Kade wouldn’t, but what was Rafe supposed to do? Sure, he could move them by force. They wouldn’t be able to stop him. Once they were back in Virginia, Jasmine would realize he wasn’t a threat to her or her kids.
Not only did his small family reside there, the largest Royal wolf pack in the States called it home. No shifter would dare attack them, not even Jon.
Jasmine would also hate Rafe for taking her choice away.
A day or two here wouldn’t hurt. He was confident he could protect her, and as long as the kids were with Devin or Kade, there’d be nothing to worry about. They were stronger than Jon, and if Rafe brought in his brothers to help hunt Jon, they might just be able to punish him and find Nina.
“Okay, we’ll try it your way.”
Her breath rushed out, and she grinned. “Thank you.”
He gave her hand a squeeze, then faced Devin. “Call and see if any of my brothers can come down.”
Devin nodded and glanced at Megan. “I’ll ask Mira to come too. She’s good with kids.”
Rafe studied his friend carefully. “Are you sure? You usually don’t allow her around humans.”
“I’m hoping being around Megan and the other cubs will give her some ideas. She’s been alone too long.”
Rafe closed his eyes against the sadness that statement brought. “We can hope.”
“Who is Mira?” Josh strode closer to Devin. “And why isn’t she allowed near humans?”
“My twin.” Devin faced him. “And humans aren’t trustworthy.”