BirthStone (29 page)

“They were both knocked out, so that
couldn’t have happened,” Tyrone said in a dry tone, he had carried
the unconscious women back to the complex and knew they'd had no
chance to do as this woman suggested.

Silas sat in disbelief at such poor
planning. Lives had been lost unnecessarily because of
miscommunication.

“Oh… too many mistakes, plus they never
reported that.” She nibbled on her bottom lip for a moment before
looking at Tyrone. “I think I’ll pass on the meal.”

Silas sensed Jasmine’s presence just as she
entered the bunker and faced Griggs.

“What the hell?” he murmured as he shot to
his feet.

“
Back down Silas, I got this
,” she
said through their link as she walked to the bed and sat at the
foot.

“I’m Jasmine.”

The woman’s face brightened as a smile
appeared on her face. “Hello Jasmine Bennett. It’s nice to finally
meet you.”

“I have a question, well two, actually.
First, my mom is a sixty-year-old breeder who seems to be
forgetting things like she has Alzheimer’s or something. Have you
ever seen or heard of anything like this before?”

“
Jasmine, do not discuss the pups with
her, I have information regarding their illness that I will share
with you. I do not know who is privy to her conversation,”
Silas said, struggling with his wolf to grant her request and not
go racing into the room to protect her.

Griggs’ brow furrowed. “No, I haven’t.
That’s really odd because we get better with age as you will
discover. I’m sorry to hear that about her, it’s a first.”

“Second, why do you think my babies will
play a role in leading the wolves?”

Silas was surprised he had not thought to
ask that question and waited for the answer.

“I don’t think it. I know it. All of your
pups will be special and probably already display aspects of their
talents. Whatever they are now will be magnified tenfold. But one
of them will have a bit of each and will rise to lead both
full-bloods and breeds one day. He will be wise beyond his years;
along with his mate, he will take the wolf nation into the next
century.”

“And you know this how?” Jasmine asked.

Griggs stared at his mate. “I was told this
by the Goddess.”

Chapter 24

“She’s lying,” Matt said.

“She wasn’t lying,” Tyrone said.

Silas agreed. “She believed everything she
said.”

Jasmine looked at the men in the room before
speaking. “Tell me what you found out about my babies.”

Silas nodded to Matt.

Jasmine listened in growing disbelief at the
prospect that her children were deliberately poisoned by someone
she'd allowed into the compound. Her head spun at the implication.
Blindly she reached for a chair and sat down hard holding her
forehead in her palm while struggling to bring the nausea rising in
her throat under control. Silas had told her, had asked her to put
off the christening, but she hadn’t listened.

Heat filled her belly, chasing away the
cold. Impotent rage at the circumstances whipped through her. Why
would anyone hurt her babies? Her temper escalated, her sense of
reasoning faltered beneath the onslaught of guilt.

“Jasmine.”

She heard her name through a tunnel of sound
but her focus, her intent, was on finding the perpetrators who'd
harmed her children. Moving through the fog, she shook off the hand
that would hold her back.

“Jasmine, you are hurting Rese and Rone.
Stop this.”

Rese? Rone? The words ricocheted through her
mind before settling. “What?” she whispered, her throat bristly
dry.

“Tamp down your anger, you’ve got everyone
else in this room pinned to the wall. They cannot move and I
suspect breathing is also a problem.”

Exhaling, she counted to ten as she
attempted to diffuse the flame in her core. It went down a notch,
but still burned.

“Your eyes are translucent gold,” Silas
whispered near her ear as he wrapped his arms around her. His heat
touched off a spark in her belly. She shuddered at the contact.

“Mom?” Tyrese said, standing a short
distance.

She turned.

Tyrone stood next to Tyrese. They both wore
stunned expressions. Matt and Dr. Passen remained near the wall.
Silas dismissed both men before Jasmine spoke to her sons.

“Someone hurt my babies on purpose,” she
said. “I cannot allow that.”

“Yeah, we got that, but when did you
start…doing Silas?” Tyrone asked.

“Your energy was his but different,” Tyrese
said, gazing down at her as if he didn’t recognize who she was.

“I don’t know. It’s been happening for a
while, I’ve been working to control my anger but it just flares at
times. And the only reason for it being like his… is because we’re
mates.” She turned in his arms and held him tight. “I’m sorry. I
should’ve listened.” She placed a kiss on his chest before resting
her head against him. The solid thump of his heartbeat helped calm
the red flames of anger leaping inside her.

“We will discuss that later. In private.” He
sent her images of the things he intended to do to her. She
shivered at the picture of him taking her over his lap and spanking
her.

“Mmmm, okay.”

“Well, now that mom’s not on a killing
rampage, what about the Goddess?” Tyrone asked. “Is she playing
both sides against each other?”

“No. She is honorable and would not warn me
against her own actions,” Silas said.

“If history is any indication, she would do
that in a heartbeat,” Tyrone argued.

The discussion went back and forth for a few
minutes until Jasmine spoke up from her chair. “How many Goddesses
are there?”

Silas looked at her in surprise.

Tyrese pursed his lips in consideration.

Tyrone nodded as if he had come to that same
conclusion.

“One?” Silas said with uncertain hesitation.
“At least I have only heard of one.”

“Ask Jacques,” Jasmine suggested. “I bet we
are talking about two or more gods here.”

“That would certainly explain matters,”
Silas said.

Tyrese sat in the chair next to her. “You
okay?”

She stroked his face and smiled. “I’m fine,
sweetie. Just got to get a handle on this energy boost. Silas is
going to work with me on it. Don’t worry.” It bothered her to see
the concern in his eyes, and now she understood how he'd felt when
she came to him after he had been altered.

“Mom, you and Silas didn’t feel it. It
happened so fast, I hit that wall so hard, if I wasn’t a breed it
would’a killed me. You were like Silas on steroids. Your eyes
changed and you looked like you were walking on air. I mean you
were on the ground but the wind tunnel around you made it look… I
was scared for you.” He grinned. “And proud at the same time. My
mama can kick some serious ass. Knowing that changes how we’ll
handle your security. Let me know when you want to go shopping,
I’ll make it happen.” He winked.

Ecstatic over the prospect of going to a
store, she grabbed his face between her palms and kissed him.
“Thanks baby.”

“Hey, he beat me to saying it, but I should
get a kiss too, I thought the same thing. Mama got skills and
nobody better brush up against her,” Tyrone said as he stooped in
front of her. Laughing, she hugged him before placing a kiss on his
forehead as well.

“I love you.” She glanced at each of her
sons. They were smart, handsome men who made her proud.

“We know. That’s why Silas used us to bring
you out. Smart man,” Tyrone said as he stood.

“Yeah, even in anger, you did a three-sixty
at the idea we were in danger. That’s just one of the reasons we
love you, Ma,” Tyrese said as he stood.

Heat rushed to her cheek at the praise. She
met Silas' gaze and melted at the love she read in them.

“Jacques says there are fake goddesses, but
ours is the one true Goddess.” Silas walked over to her, pulled her
up, and then sat her on his lap.

“Everyone feels that way about the God they
serve,” Tyrone said.

“I know and that creates a problem,” Jasmine
said.

Chapter 25

They agreed to put the Goddess issue on the
back burner and deal with the more pressing issue of who had
touched their children with poison. After leaving the lab, they
visited the nursery, where Silas accepted her apology for her role
in their children’s dilemma.

“I am so sorry, Silas. Honestly I had no
idea.” She opened herself wide open for him to search her motives
if he chose.

Instead he sent waves of love and warmth,
filling her to the brim. Her legs buckled beneath the onslaught. He
caught her and together they sat in one of the rocking chairs in
companionable silence.

<<<<>>>>

Jasmine and Silas joined her mother,
Jacques, and Mark for dinner. The twins were assigned clean up for
Griggs and her son. After Silas pulled Tomas’ wolf, Dr. Passen had
been horrified at the condition of the animal. Tomas’s wolf was
immediately hooked up to medication to reverse the effect of the
drugs he had been on since birth. Froggy would take on the job of
strengthening the wolf once Tomas was strong enough. The nurses had
returned to the nursery and security remained in place to keep
everyone else out.

“Hello, sweetheart,” Jasmine’s mother said,
reaching out for a hug.

Jasmine didn’t hesitate as she took her
mother in her arms and inhaled. “Hi mom. Sorry I’ve been busy the
last few days. The kids had a really bad cold, but they are much
better now.” Which was a lie, their temperatures were still high,
but she and Silas agreed that it would serve their purpose better
if everyone believed otherwise.

“I’m so glad. I told Mark just this morning
that they were doing better, didn’t I, Mark?”

He came up behind Victoria and placed a kiss
on her neck. “Yes sweetheart, you did.” He gazed at Jasmine and
then Silas with a warm smile. “I’m glad to hear they are well. I
don’t have any children…yet.” He winked at Victoria, whose face lit
up. “But I can only imagine how difficult it must be.”

Jasmine liked Mark for her mom. He seemed a
likable guy but he was a suspect, along with Jacques and Renee. She
cringed with embarrassment over the conversation Silas'd had with
her former pastor an hour ago. Although her mate stopped short of
accusing the man of wrongdoing, she was certain her pastor never
wanted to hear from either of them again. Silas had instructed Rose
to send the church a large donation.

“Thanks, Mark.”

She moved to Jacques, who had his back
turned to everyone in the room. “Hey.”

He glanced at her over his shoulder with a
forced smile. “Hello.” Her heart dropped. Jacques was one of her
favorite people, and he was hurting. Worse, there was nothing she
could do about it. Instead of speaking, she wrapped her arms around
him from the back.

He held her arms on his chest a moment
before releasing them. Turning, he looked over her shoulder.
Certain he would ask a question about her mother, she waited. He
frowned and then glanced down at her.

“Your mother just washed her hands and then
lotioned them with a small bottle from her purse. Could you ask
where she got the lotion? And perhaps have Matt take a look at
it?”

Stunned by his remark, she looked over her
shoulder and watched her mom talk to Mark while rubbing the cream
into her skin. Prickles of unease assaulted her. Please God, not my
mama, she offered in silent prayer. But the more she thought about
it, the more it made sense. Victoria Channing would be the perfect
Trojan horse. A gift of lotions and perfumes from a colleague or
friend, and voila, it would be a done deal.

“I can and I will.” She headed toward the
table as the head server entered the room. Dinner was about to be
served. Silas' brow rose as she approached.

“
I see the light of battle in your eyes,
what happened?”