BirthStone (5 page)

The matter-of-fact words dropped into his
gut and detonated. Perhaps if he hadn’t believed his mate had been
on death’s door, or if his pups hadn’t received the marks the
breeders prophesied about, he might not have reacted so swiftly or
strongly. Without thought, he reacted to the threat of losing those
closest to his heart.

A wild breeze whipped through the room. The
glass in the window webbed, pieces of the thick material popped and
crackled. Asia's braids flew around her head as she fell from the
chair onto the floor. Weeks of watching his mate languish tore at
him. Forcibly he fought back the idea of her demise.

Pinging from the exterior door signaled
someone’s request for entry, and Jasmine’s frantic calls pierced
the blinding rage that engulfed him.

“
Damn it Silas, cut that out and talk to
me. Forget it, I’m on my way
,” Jasmine snapped through their
link.

“Sir?”

Through a fog, Silas heard his name and
inched back from Asia’s quivering form. He had no idea when he had
moved to stand above her. The pinging from the steel door increased
in frequency and volume.

“Sir?” He recognized Tyrese’s voice.

“One minute.” He reached forward and touched
the top of Asia’s head. She shrank back. “I owe you an
apology.”

“No…no, Sir. I apologize for speaking out of
turn.” Her shaky voice ended on a sob. She inched back, her body
shook as she swallowed hard. “Please forgive me, Sir.”

Silas exhaled, regretting his momentary loss
of control. Losing his mate was a sore subject and too near the
surface. That was no excuse. He needed Jasmine’s knack for
smoothing awkward situations. “Asia, I need you to listen to me.”
He waited for her to respond. “Asia,” he called her name with a
demand that she responded to.

“Yes, Sir?” Her voice sounded weak and
uncertain, so unlike the strong Alpha bitch he knew her to be.

He tempered his voice. “I asked you a
question. You gave me an honest answer, one I needed to hear. When
it comes to my mate and pups…it’s a sore spot for me. My anger
wasn’t directed at you…well it was, but only because…look, I don’t
want you to stop being honest with me because you’re afraid. I
needed to know they were after my family and why. I don’t like it.”
That was a mild statement and he knew it. “But I need all the
information I can get to win this … this war.” He waited for her
reaction. Her body didn’t shake as much and her face hovered above
the floor instead of being plastered to the tile.

“Please stand. My mate will be here in just
a moment and it will displease her to see you like this.” Jasmine
was pissed and heading his way. She would have quite a few words to
say when she discovered his anger had been directed toward
Asia.

Instead of reducing the number of people in
her inner emotional circle and taking things easy as her doctor
instructed, Jasmine had taken a liking to the young bitch, and
worried over Asia’s health and well-being. No matter how much he
urged her to slow down, she claimed she was better and could handle
everything she had been able to handle before her illness. Asia
pushed up and stood. Her head remained down, she didn’t move.

Silas was unsure if he should help her find
the chair or not. He opened the door. Tyrese and Tyrone stood in
the entryway. “Right her chair.”

Tyrese strode forward, picked up the
upholstered seat and placed it near the wall. He took Asia by the
arm and assisted her so that she could sit.

“Thanks,” she said softly.

Tyrese glanced at Silas and then spoke.
“You’re welcome.”

Jasmine walked into the room, glanced at
Silas, and stood in front of him. “Asia, are you okay?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Clear the room,” Silas said, gazing at
Tyrese and then Tyrone. “You have other places you need to be.”

Tyrese glanced at his mother and then Silas.
“Yes, Sir.” He left the room, closing the door behind him.

“What happened, Asia?”

Silas’ brow rose.

Jasmine stroked his arm, the skin to skin
contact soothed his wolf and excited him.

“I said some things the Patron did not like.
I was not thinking clearly and should have answered the question
with more finesse. I apologize again for my lack of tact.”

“What did you say? And you can say it again,
he won’t react in the same way, but I need to know. Tell me
please.”

“
You already heard her through our link,
I don’t want to hear it again,” Silas argued.

“
I know, but she is our best weapon to
get those bastards, at least that’s what you told me. She can’t do
that if she’s afraid to offend you at every turn. We need to fix
this now before she shrinks back into her shell and rarely speaks.
Let me handle this, it requires a softer touch.”

He smothered his snort as he backed off.
“Remember, no touching, and do not get close. Otherwise what you
felt before will seem like an appetizer.”

“
I already agreed to that, so stop with
the big bad wolf routine.”

Asia’s head lifted slightly. She swallowed
hard and repeated word for word what she had said to Silas a few
moments earlier. Hearing the words burned his gut but lacked the
same punch this time. His wolf became agitated. Jasmine leaned back
against him, giving him the contact he needed.

“Thanks so much, Asia. That’s information we
needed to know. We are newly mated and he is extremely protective.
You know how mates are, don’t you?”

Silas stiffened behind her but remained
silent.

Asia frowned. “Yes, he was the same. It cost
him…”

“Do you remember your mate? Mother? Or
father?” Jasmine continued in a soft voice.

“I think so…I mean I had to be born, but I
can’t remember.” Her hand flew to her head. “Ow…”

“
Monitor her
,” Jasmine told
Silas.

Silas probed into Asia’s mind. At first he
didn’t sense anything untoward. But something had caused her pain.
He released more energy, seeking the source of the irritant. A few
seconds later a small pulse behind the lens of her eyes caught his
attention. Gently, his energy surrounded the pulsating vein only to
discover something small and hard like a kernel.

Asia moaned as her face dropped into her
hands.

Working quickly, he penetrated the vein.
There appeared to be a clot in the vein. Silas prepared to dissolve
the clot when he realized there was no blood flow. He stopped and
followed the vein and discovered a small plate attached to brain
matter. No wonder Dr. Passen had missed this, it was a cleverly
disguised vein that powered their control over her. Eager to pass
on this information to the doctor, Silas pulled out of Asia’s
mind.

Jasmine gazed over her shoulder at him with
a worried expression.

“
She needs surgery
,” he said through
their link.

Jasmine nodded before turning back to Asia.
“Sweetheart, do you want to lay down?”

“Not right now. I don’t…want to move. My
head is spinning…those bastards. I know it’s them, they are doing
something again,” Asia cried.

“I’m going to help you…just like you helped
us. We are going to help make this right,” Silas said, feeling bad
for the young woman. He stepped back, opened the door.

A woman in a lab coat snapped to attention
when she saw him. “La Patron, Sir.”

“Have Dr. Passen come here immediately.”
Silas did not contact the doctor via his link to give Tyrone and
Tyrese some time to get situated after the shot.

She nodded, spun around and moved in the
direction she had just come.

When he stepped back inside, Jasmine sat in
the other chair and spoke softly. “I’m from Colorado originally, a
town called Aurora, not far from Denver. I have a sister, she’s
older and we are close. Growing up, we played a lot of softball at
the park near our house. I loved dodge ball. There was something
liberating about throwing that ball as hard as you could.” She
sighed as though she were reliving the games.

“I played volleyball… in school, or at least
I think it was a school. My hair was short in a small afro,” Asia
said softly. “Someone spiked the ball and I dove forward to make
the save for our team.” Her voice sounded wondrous and then she
cringed. “Oh my God that hurts…it hurts…”

The pinging sound filled the room. Silas
opened the door, glad to see Dr. Passen on the other side. “You
called for me, Sir?” He glanced around the room before his eyes
landed on Asia. The doctor’s eyes widened. “Is she okay?”

“No. She has a piece of metal digging into
her brain,” Silas said in a somber tone.

“What?” Jasmine said, staring at him.

He nodded but continued watching the
doctor’s expression change. “It’s complicated, but I will help you
find it again,” he explained to Passen. “Right now give her
something for pain, and then you can pull a team together to run
more tests.”

“Yes, Sir.” The man left the room.

No one spoke although the atmosphere was
pregnant with tension. Moments later the doctor returned and gave
Asia a shot. He rubbed her arm a few times before speaking.
“Better?”

She nodded slowly. “Yes, it took the edge
off. Thanks.”

“Sir?” Dr. Passen looked at Silas. “Do you
need to talk to me now or…”

Silas glanced at his watch. He needed to
talk to Captain Samson regarding Jenkins. The detective had
completed his time at the compound and Froggy had signed off on the
health of the detective’s wolf. According to Froggy, Jenkins and
his wolf had developed a healthy pack mentality and the man was
eager to assist in any way Silas deemed necessary.

It was time for Detective Jennings to return
to work. There were a few things Silas needed to discuss with the
captain. The Merriweathers were restless over the stalled
investigation of their relative’s death. Silas had given the
detective instructions to close the case. For that to happen,
Jenkins needed to be back behind his desk. The Captain needed to be
made aware of the new security devices to be installed in the
precinct as well.

Alpha Jayden and Silas were officiating the
upcoming Alpha Challenge for West Virginia in a few weeks. The
Alpha had requested a conference call this morning to discuss the
security arrangements. Silas would be tied up in meetings for the
next few hours.

“Yes, Dr. Passen we can talk as we walk.”
Silas held out his hand to Jasmine. “Let’s go, she needs her rest.
We can visit later to finish that discussion.” He softened his tone
at the flashing of her eyes. She waited a beat before taking his
hand. He loved having his spirited bitch back.

Her eyes softened as he placed a kiss on the
back of her hand. “I need you safe. She is still wired to those who
would destroy us. I cannot leave you alone with her.”

She nodded while glancing over her shoulder.
His gaze followed hers. Asia had moved to the bed and lay curled in
a fetal position. If anyone deserved a break, the young bitch
certainly did. Silas hoped the discovery he'd made would set her
free to live a decent life.

Chapter 4

Once Silas explained in detail what he'd
seen in Asia’s brain, Dr. Passen left at a fast clip to put a team
together to re-examine the woman. Jasmine and Silas walked a few
feet down the hall. She placed her hand on his arm to stop him. “My
mom, her husband, and Renee will be here in a couple of days for
the christening.” She ignored the tensing of his arm and continued
while holding his gaze. “I know you’ve been busy, I’ve been busy.
Everybody is busy, but we will be having guests soon and you need
to spare some time for my family.”

He frowned.

“Some quality time, Silas. I mean it.” She
stopped him from making a comment. “My mother remarried and I
haven’t met this guy. Rose has all the background checks for my
former pastor.” She glared at him. The man had no shame requiring a
man of God to undergo the same scrutiny as one of his Alphas.

“And your mother’s husband?”

“Yes, she has Mark’s background information
as well. I think she even has one on Jacques.” She waited for him
to defend the need for his trusted friend to receive a clearance,
when he didn’t, she moved on before he came up with a reason to
leave.

“Tonight, I want to go over an outline of
how the christening will flow. Since we don’t have godparents, I
was thinking we could cut out that part.”

“God-parents?” He frowned, staring down at
her.

Jasmine pointed a finger at him.
“Don’t.”

“What? I’ve never heard of that term.”

She pressed her finger into his chest. “I
mentioned it to you, three weeks ago before the depression
hit.”

“You did not.”

She pushed him. He did not move, instead he
wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. “Silas, I
don’t like this.” Her eyelids fluttered as tingly sparks raced
through, awakening her libido.