Bonded Read online

  Jonas seemed unfazed by the look and crossed his arms against his massive chest and smirked.

  “My asking questions is going to be the death of me,” Cage sighed, cutting through Jace’s silent observation and Alister’s odd behavior.

  Yanking his gaze from Jonas, Alister answered Cage. “They’ve had others ask questions, but not anyone who lived to talk about it.”

  That pissed him off, the senselessness of it all. Jace squeezed his hands into fists, keeping them hidden in his lap. He’d sever anyone’s head who so much as looked at Cage in the wrong way. The blades he wore when not in wolf form heated with his anger.

  “What about the wizards and warlocks? Where do they stand?” Jace asked tightly.

  “Pethious won’t pick a side until things get out of hand. You know how our Grand Wizard thinks.”

  “I don’t know how your Grand Wizard thinks,” Jonas pointed out.

  Alister slowly turned his head back to Jonas. “He’s far from impulsive. As I just told Jace, Pethious will observe and only step in if he thinks it’s necessary.” Alister’s hands waved about, he did that when agitated.

  “Right,” Jace cut in. “I’m glad Pethious is cautious.” Jace couldn’t blame the wizard; being one of the most power beings on the face of the earth came with great responsibility.

  “A war with the hunters will put humans at risk,” Jonas murmured.

  Alister’s gaze turned from green into a molten colored hue, a mixture of every color under the sun, and Jonas’s swift intake of air was heard around the room.

  “Yes,” Alister responded quietly. “It will.”

  The table was silent as if everyone realized the impact to the planet’s occupants should a war occur between paranormal beings.

  A pot of coffee and several empty cups were placed on the table along with cream and sugar.

  “There’s something else.” Alister took a quick sip of coffee and waited for the young wolf to leave them.

  “What?” Jonas asked.

  “The mages are taking the hunters side. If you don’t turn over Cage to Leopold, they’ve threatened to drop their shields to the north.” Alister held Jonas’ gaze before turning to hold his own.

  Jace stared at Alister unable to comprehend what that would mean for a split second, and then he felt the blood leave his face.

  “Oh, fuck,” he muttered.

  “And leave the dragons exposed?” Cage growled.

  “Yes.” Alister took another swallow of his coffee.

  “Do they realize what they’re risking?” Jace gaped at Alister.

  “I don’t think they do. All I know is that Cornelius, the leader of the mages, is tied to Leopold somehow.”

  “If the mages drop their shields and expose the dragon shifters, they’ll be declaring war on the dragons.” Jonas steepled his fingers, elbows on the table, and a troubled expression filled the leader’s face.

  “I know,” Alister murmured in a soft voice.

  “What do we do now?” Jace asked.

  “Look, I know the wolf shifters are run by a democracy and that’s been working for you, but you need to remember the rest of us, now including the hunters, are governed by dictators, rulers, and kings. It’s one entity calling the shots.”

  “And that’s a problem,” Jonas said. “You have no new input. Laws become outdated and that’s a dictatorship.”

  “You’re preaching to the choir,” Alister snapped, sending Jonas an impatient look. “But it’s the way it is, for now. And for some reason, Leopold decided that hunters and shifters were not to be mates.”

  “And we just blindly accepted that,” Cage jumped in with a growl.

  “Cage,” Jonas said quietly. “Once upon a time, we were ruled the same way.”

  “I know,” Cage sighed.

  Jace placed a hand on Cage’s shoulder. While the hunters had tried to have a council, Leopold never let them forget that he was in charge. He ruled the hunters with an iron and sometimes bloody fist.

  “Leopold never gave a reason for the law,” Jace murmured.

  “A dictator rarely needs to,” Alister answered.

  “Seriously, though, I’m more worried about the dragons,” Jace said, looking around the table.

  “That’s what I’m getting at, Jace. There are two things. After we meet with the wolf council in Vegas, we need to come up with a plan,” Alister said.

  “How long do we have before the mages drop the dragons’ shields?” Jace asked.

  The shields had been put in place centuries ago to cloak the outside world from seeing dragon shifters in their dragon form. If those shields were dropped, Jace could only imagine the mass panic. And all that in the middle of a war was going to be devastating.

  “They didn’t say. Right now, it’s a threat. Let’s get to the wolf council and then figure out the next steps,” Alister said.

  “Agreed,” Cage answered. “We can’t do anything about what the mages may or may not do. Right now, I need to prove my innocence and we need to let the shifter council know the blood bond death is a lie.”

  Cage held Jonas’ gaze across the table.

  “I’ll support you,” Jonas said and stood.

  “Leopold needs to answer for his lie,” Roman grated out and stood facing Jonas.

  “He will,” Alister replied before Jonas could respond. “And I have a feeling that if his lie jeopardizes the dragon shifters safety, the dragon king will destroy him.”

  Jace had no doubt of that. He shuddered and not for the first time, wondered what the fuck Leopold had been thinking.

  Have a seat,” Jonas said.

  Cage settled in one of the large chairs in front of the Leader Alpha’s desk.

  “Hell of a thing.”

  Cage rubbed at his forehead. “You don’t need to tell me that,” he said, half joking.

  “We had no knowledge that you were in trouble.”

  “I wanted to contact you face to face. It’s one thing to receive a phone call, it’s another to see that I’m not infected nor are any of my pack. Now you know that asking questions can get us killed. Jace is my blood bonded mate, but he was born a hunter. He’s not dead. Leopold lied about the magical blood bond between our races.”

  “He did,” Jonas agreed. “He needs to be held accountable.”

  “And how do you propose we do that?” Cage asked.

  “Las Vegas headquarters is a little over an eight-hour drive from here. If we leave at nightfall tomorrow night, we can be there before light the next morning. I’ve called a meeting with the other council members, but I haven’t told them anything other than it’s important. I told them it was a matter of shifter safety. We can decide Leopold’s fate from there.”

  “In your opinion, how do you think the other council members are going to react?”

  “I’m not sure, but I can tell you this. I will stand behind you. I don’t want war. The rest of the council will follow my lead,” Jonas said firmly.

  “So, what then?” He held his breath. Was he supposed to hand himself over?

  “We’ll arrange a meeting with Leopold and get to the bottom of the secrets and lies,” Jonas responded.

  Cage released his breath. “Thank you.”

  “We’ll do everything in our power to protect you and your pack, Cage. I just don’t know if we can win an all-out war against the hunters if they have the mages on their side.

  “I don’t want the wizards and warlocks pulled into this mess if we can help it,” Cage said gruffly, rubbing at the headache just behind his temples as he thought about the possibility of the magical races clashing more than they already did.

  “I don’t either.” At the mention of wizards and warlocks, Jonas’ blue eyes swirled with an emotion Cage couldn’t quite figure out.

  When Jonas stood and came around the desk, Cage stood and gripped the man’s hand. He was pulled into a hard hug and he closed his eyes as a lump grew in his throat. Knowing this powerful alpha was behind him gave him hope.<
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  “Get some sleep, we’ll talk again tomorrow.”

  Cage stepped out of the office and found Jace waiting for him. He strode toward his mate, took his hand, and led him across the field and into the house. Once there, he didn’t stop until he was in their room with the door closed.

  Jace sank onto the bed. “What happened?”

  “Jonas has given me his full support,” he said roughly.

  “Oh, baby, of course he has.” Jace held out his arms and Cage came into them.

  It amazed him how Jace never doubted him. He held his mate tightly, breathing in his scent and absorbing the comfort that eased his ragged nerves.

  Sitting there on the bed next to his mate, Cage told Jace everything.

  “So, Jonas has called the council. We leave tomorrow night.”

  “We need to come up with a plan,” Jace said.

  Cage drew back and held the hunter’s gaze. If Jace said they needed an alternate plan, then Cage would hear him out.

  “Fill me in.”

  “We need to think of the worst-case scenario.”

  Cage thought for a moment. “The wolves don’t back us and we are on the run.”

  “That’s one, but we already know the wolves are going to back you, but we could be on the run regardless of that.”

  “True, but if we go to war with the hunters, we’ll be able to run our base from Las Vegas.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “What are you thinking?”

  “I think we need to stash the pack here.”

  “You mean not take them to Vegas?” He frowned.

  “Exactly. What if shit goes south? Do you really want the pack there?”

  Cage licked at his dry lips. “No. You’re right.”

  “You think Jonas would allow them to stay here with Griffin in charge?”

  “Griffin won’t leave my side,” Cage pointed out.

  “Okay, then we’ll leave the pack with Jonas’ enforcer in charge and bring Griffin.”

  It was a good plan and it made a hell of a lot of sense. “God, I love you,” he murmured, burying his face in Jace’s neck.

  Jace laughed softly. “Because I make good plans?”

  “Yeah, and your ability to think clearly in the heat of the moment.”

  “Well, not all heated moments,” Jace whispered huskily.

  “No, not all,” he agreed, reaching for the buttons on Jace’s shirt.

  The noise was making Jace’s brain hurt. If there ever was a time when he wished his hearing hadn’t been enhanced, it was right now.

  Not to mention, the smell. The city of Las Vegas was spread out beneath them. Driving SUVs, they’d made their way in from the east and arrived at Sunrise Mountain about eight hours later.

  From there, the view of Sin City was nothing but a sea of lights. They shifted into wolf form to make it up the rocky terrain and once near the top, they shifted back to their human forms to gaze at the scene below. Sure, they were all naked, but Jace noticed that none of the others cared. It was probably a wolf thing.

  The only one dressed was Alister. The warlock stood apart from them, near one of the sharp drop-offs. The wind caught Alister’s dark cloak and black hair, tossing it about dramatically.

  Cage slung his arm around his shoulder and eased him into his side. Jace smiled, it made him feel all kinds of protected. Griffin stood with his arms crossed over his massive chest just behind and to the right of Cage.

  “That’s the convention center where we meet every three years,” Cage murmured near his ear and pointed a finger in the distance.

  “Is that where we’ll meet?” His eyes swept over the lights.

  “No, we’ll meet at the pack shifters’ hall. It’s an office building where I work,” Jonas said.

  “You travel to Vegas to work?”

  Jonas smiled faintly and shook his head. “I work from home, but once a week, I drive the eight hours and work, stay the night, and work the next day.”

  “Do they know you’re here?” Roman asked Jonas.

  “I called Franklin before we left Pocatello, and he called Anton and Rafe. I didn’t tell them why we were coming, just that we needed a meeting.”

  “And who are they?” Jace turned from the lights to face Jonas.

  “Franklin represents the East. He has the longest flight and will be here the day after tomorrow. Anton represents the Midwest, and Rafe the South, so they’ll be flying in.” Jonas rattled off the other three regions of the United States.

  “What about foreign wolf packs?” Griffin asked with a frown.

  Jace smiled, the enforcer was always concerned with others. He knew Griffin was out of sorts by how quiet he was. Jace figured it was because they’d left Alex behind. Alex had stood silently with tears pooling in his eyes, glaring at Griffin.

  Griffin had gruffly patted the younger man’s shoulder and then walked away without a word.

  Not a smart thing to do, because Alex had run from the clearing and had not reappeared when the vehicles had pulled out. Sometimes, people could be so dense, but it wasn’t his place to council Griffin on love.

  “We’ll get the word out to our foreign packs if things turn sour with the hunters,” Jonas answered Griffin, bringing his attention away from matchmaker.

  Jonas rubbed at the back of his neck, his mouth tightly pinched.

  “Let’s shift, get back to the vehicles, and maybe grab a bite to eat,” Cage suggested.

  “Good idea. There are a few places to eat on the outskirts of the city. I’ve booked us rooms at my favorite hotel. I’d like for us to stay out of sight until the other leaders arrive. Daylight is in about four hours.” Jonas looked at the skyline where Alister was silhouetted. The warlock hadn’t spoken or looked at any of them.

  Jace had a lot on his mind during the run back to the parking lot. Would the wolves support Cage? What the hell would they do if the hunters didn’t drop this bogus warrant? He shifted and yanked on his briefs, jeans, and then reached for his shirt. Shrugging it over his shoulders, he worked at the buttons.

  “You okay?” Cage murmured.

  Jace grabbed his socks before glancing over and mustering up a smile.

  “Yeah, just worried.” Jace pulled on his socks and shoes.

  “It’ll be okay.”

  “Oh yeah?” His eyebrow quirked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Because you say so?” Jace teased.

  Cage grinned. “Yup. That and…”

  “And,” Jace said huskily, moving closer.

  “Whatever happens, we’re together.”

  “And we’ll stay that way.”

  “Damn right,” Cage growled and hauled him closer. The alpha’s lips brushed his and Jace nipped at them until their tongues tangled and the kiss grew wet and heated.

  A throat clearing brought up his head.

  “Sorry,” Roman said. “But we better get going.”

  “Be right there,” Cage said.

  When Roman left them, Jace crushed him close. “I love you.”

  “I love you,” he murmured back.

  They turned together to the others waiting. Jonas had two enforcers, Roman had brought one, and Cage and Jace figured they only needed Griffin since Jace had retained all of his hunter abilities. Plus, they had Alister, so…yeah. Jace almost chuckled thinking about Cage trying to get Alister to stay behind. Oh, it hadn’t been because Alister wasn’t capable, it was because Cage had been worried that Alister’s involvement would drag all of the warlocks and wizards into this mess.

  “Bullshit,” Alister had spat at Cage. “I was already in this when they fucked with my best friend. Besides, Pethious knows what’s going on,” Alister reminded Cage.

  The wind picked up; it billowed out Alister’s coat and blew back his shoulder length hair. Those nearest skittered back from the warlock and scrambled out of his way. Not Cage, though. Nope, his alpha had moved closer and gripped Alister on the shoulder. A moment of silence followed and then Cage nodded. And that h
ad been that.

  The hotel was nice, off the beaten path, but the service was great. From the balcony, Jace could see all of Vegas.

  Arms closed around him from behind and Cage settle his chest against his back. Jace tipped his head and nuzzled into his lover’s shadowed jaw, loving the scruff. He couldn’t quite stifle the sigh.

  “What’s the matter?” Cage mouthed against his hear.

  “I’m worried.”

  “We will get through this.”

  “Will we?” he said, turning in Cage’s arms.

  “Yes, we will. It’s okay to be worried, baby, as long as it doesn’t paralyze you.”

  “The thought of something happening to you…” He gripped Cage tightly.

  “It won’t. We’re in this for life.” Cage’s warm breath caressed his cheek, chin, and then his lips touched his. “We’ll make a plan like we did with stashing the pack at Jonas’ place.”

  “What kind of plan?” Right now, he couldn’t imagine a plan that would get them out of this. Cage didn’t know what Leopold was capable of.

  Cage drew back, and the seriousness in the dark brown gaze stopped his breath for a moment.

  “If things go south, we’ll head into Canada and then north to seek asylum,” Cage said.

  “Where the dragons live?”

  “Yes, Nunavut territory.”

  “How do we get across the water?” Jace frowned.

  “We’d have to fly, but the dragons have a contact this side.”

  Jace thought about that for a moment. “How do you know they’ll help us?”

  “I have a friend.” The corner of Cage’s mouth tipped.

  “Is that right?” Jace’s lips curved.

  “Mhmm,” Cage said and tipped his head, brushing his stubble against his skin. Lips roamed along his neck, then Cage’s mouth closed over his and Jace was lost.

  He leaned in heavily, absorbing Cage’s love and strength. It was times like this, when it was only the two of them together, that he coveted. His newly formed wolf thrashed with need at being so near his mate. It still startled Jace when he felt his wolf’s desire without actually being in wolf form.

  He put a few inches between them, then reached for the bottom of Cage’s shirt and lifted it up, yanking it over the alpha’s head before sliding his palms over hard, smooth muscles.