Trace's Temptation (RARE Series, #3) (12 page)

Hearing a noise behind her, Jade froze.  Baring her teeth on a snarl, she turned, but relaxed when she saw Chase.  Walking past her, he moved to sit on a log a few feet away.  “Come here, little one,” he said quietly, patting the space next to him.  Slowly, Jade stood up and walked over, taking a seat beside him. 

“I can feel your pain,” he said as he stared into the darkening woods.  “You want to talk about it?”

Jade hesitated as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.  She’d never had an Alpha.  She knew an Alpha took care of his pack, putting them above everything else.  He was there to both protect and comfort them.  Most wolves ran in packs, but Jade and Jinx only had each other.  She guessed you could call Jinx her Alpha, although she didn’t think of him in that way.  To her, he was her brother. 

“Talk to me, Jade,” Chase demanded softly.  “Let me help.”

She was supposed to be a warrior.  That’s what Jinx trained her for.  But right now she felt like a child, so lost and scared.  “It’s always just been me and Jinx,” Jade whispered.  “The two of us against the world.  I’ve never had an Alpha.” 

“You have Angel now,” Chase reminded her as he continued to scan the area around them.  “She’s a powerful Alpha.”

“Angel’s my mother, not my Alpha,” Jade stated.  “I don’t want her as my Alpha.”  Clasping her hands tightly together, Jade whispered hesitantly, “But I would like you to be, I think.”

Reaching over, Chase covered her shaking hands with his.  “Then I will be,” he said.  Suddenly Jade felt Chase pushing his power into her, helping to calm her and take away some of the fear.  Closing her eyes, she soaked it in, wondering if this was what others felt like when she helped them.

“Now, as Alpha it is my honor and privilege to take care of my pack and help them with anything and everything they need.  Talk to me, Jade.  Let me help you.”

When Jade didn’t respond, Chase asked, “Does this have anything to do with your mating?”

Jade gulped and stared at her feet as Chase waited patiently for a response.  Finally, raising her head and looking her new Alpha directly in the eyes, Jade told him, “Trace trusts me, Chase.  He says he loves me, but he doesn’t know the real me.  The one I have to keep hidden from everyone.  He sees a sweet, innocent Omega wolf.  I haven’t been sweet and innocent since I was eight years old and made my first kill.  And I am definitely not an Omega wolf.  The person he loves...that’s not me.”

“We all have our secrets, Jade,” Chase said.  “Some secrets are worse than others.  But tell me something.  Do you really think Trace would love you any less if he knew yours?”  When Jade would have responded, Chase held up a hand.  “Think about this.  In a year, where do you want to be, Jade?  With a mate that loves you and would do anything for you...or alone?  Talk to him.  Let him decide how he feels about it, about you.  But give him the chance to make his own decision.  That’s very important.”

Holding back her tears and fear of losing her mate, Jade nodded.  “I know you’re right.  But I also have to think of my brother.  Some of my secrets include him.”

“Jinx will want you to be happy,” Chase promised.  “And you can trust Trace.  Whatever you tell him will go no further.”

“I know,” Jade whispered.  “I trust him with my life.”

“And you can trust him with your brother’s,” Chase said softly.  “One more thing, Jade, you might want to consider talking to your mother about all of this, too.  Angel will not judge you.  She’s lived without you for 20 years.  All she wants is the chance to love you and have that love returned.  There isn’t anything that woman wouldn’t do for you and Jinx, Jade.  That goes for me, too.”

Standing, Chase held out his hand to her.  “Let’s go.  I have a feeling your mate is getting restless.  I know you are supposed to be leaving soon to get his family.”

Gasping, Jade jumped up quickly.  “Oh no!  We need to hurry!”  Running back to the hospital, Chase on her heels, Jade prayed RARE had waited for her.  She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten about Trace’s family.  What kind of mate was she?

The kind that will love unconditionally, as will he,
Jinx’s voice whispered into her mind.
Your Alpha is right, sis.  All I want is for you to be happy.  Trust your mate.  Tell him everything.

Not slowing her pace, Jade asked hesitantly,
Are you sure?

Yes,
was Jinx’s quick response. 
It’s time you tell Angel, too.
 

Will you come talk to them with me?
She asked. 
I don’t know if I can do it on my own.

You are stronger than you think, Jade. 
Jinx said, the pride evident in his voice. 
But you won’t be on your own.  You will never have to do anything on your own again, sis.  If I can’t be there, your Alpha, Angel and Trace will be.  You are finally safe.
 

There was silence for a moment as Jade let what Jinx said sink in.  She was safe.  She was free.  And as long as Trace fully accepted her for who she was, she was loved.

When will you be safe, Jinx? 
she asked softly.

As soon as I bring that bastard down,
Jinx growled.  D
on’t worry about me, Jade.  I’ve got this.  You go to your mate.  Be happy.

As they neared the hospital, Trace stepped through the front entrance, a dark scowl on his face.  The RARE team members waited by two black SUV’s near the building.  Skidding to a stop in front of the hospital steps, Jade reached back and grabbed Chase’s hand for courage.  Feeling his power flowing through her, she looked up into her mate’s pissed off gaze.  He glanced down to where Jade clasped Chase’s hand and then back up to her eyes, and Jade smiled, letting her love show in her gaze.  Shoring up her courage, reminding herself she was free to live her life now, she said softly, “I love you, too, my mate.”

Trace was down the stairs pulling Jade into his arms in the next instant, her face buried in his neck.  Breathing deeply, she inhaled his dark, spicy scent that was now mixed with her own.  She felt the huge shudder run through his body as she clung to him. 
You will tell me why you left me,
Trace demanded roughly. 

Trembling, Jade said,
I will.  Just please, promise me you will still love me. 

Leaning back, Trace tilted her head up, gazing into her eyes. 
I will always love you, Jade,
he vowed. 
Nothing will ever take you from me.

Smiling again, Jade kissed him softly on the lips before saying out loud, “Let’s go get your family.  Then, when we get back, we will talk.”  Glancing at Chase she whispered, “Thank you for everything, Alpha.” 

At Angel’s gasp of surprise, Chase stepped forward and rested a hand on Jade’s shoulder.  “I will be here if you need me, Jade.” Nodding to the others, he walked up the hospital steps and through the doors.

“Chase is your Alpha now?” Angel questioned with a slight note of disbelief and a hint of jealousy in her tone.

“Yes,” Jade responded quietly.  “I want an Alpha.  My wolf needs one.”  At the hurt expression on Angel’s face that she quickly masked, Jade went on, “I don’t need you to be my Alpha, Angel.  I need you to be my mother.”

A slow smile spread across Angel’s face before she said, “I have always been your mother, Jade.  And I have always loved you.  Nothing will change that.”

“Sorry to interrupt,” Rikki interjected, “but we need to beat feet.  There’s another family reunion on our list tonight.  And all this mushy crap is giving me a headache.”

“She’s right,” Angel agreed.  “We need to get going.”  Turning to Trace she narrowed her eyes.  “Why haven’t you shifted?”

Ignoring her, Trace wrapped an arm around Jade’s waist and walked with her to one of the SUVs.  Opening the middle door on the passenger side, Trace helped Jade in and then turned to the team.  “Let’s do this,” he growled before sliding in beside Jade and pulling the door shut. 

Leaning her head against Trace’s shoulder, Jade closed her eyes tiredly.  It had been so long since she’d slept more than four hours at a time.  Feeling Trace’s arm slide around her, she snuggled into his side.  She needed some rest before the mission or she wouldn’t be at full strength.  Jade let herself drift off to sleep in the comfort of her mate’s arms, knowing that for once in her life she was truly safe.

W
hen Jade finally opened her eyes again, they had already boarded the plane and were in the air.  Sitting up and looking around in confusion, she saw she was in the back of the jet on the floor.  Trace lay next to her in cat form, his midnight black fur shining.  “Trace didn’t want to wake you when we got to the hangar,” Rikki said from beside them in her chair.  “Stubborn ass insisted on carrying you on the plane himself.  Angel made him shift after he laid you down.  The doc says it will help speed the healing process along.”

Running a hand through her tangled hair, Jade sighed.  “If I would have stayed with him instead of running off because I got scared, he would have shifted a long time ago,” she admitted.  Placing a hand on Trace, she slid her fingers through his thick fur.

“So,” Rikki began reluctantly.  “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” Jade responded absently, her attention on Trace.

“I know there are things you aren’t telling us, hell we all know it,” Rikki laughed softly.  “Which is fine, Jade.  Unless you are hiding something that could affect a mission we are on, I really don’t give a shit.”

“I would never put the team in danger,” Jade snapped, anger in her voice.

“Good,” Rikki said.  “So, although I can tell you have a gentle nature and like to help others when they are upset or in pain, I know you aren’t an Omega wolf.  I also know you would have us believe you were if you could.”

Jade glanced down guilty, then back up at Rikki.  Holding her head high, she said, “Not anymore.  I’m not hiding who I am anymore.  I decided when we went to get Trace in Colombia that I was done playing the Omega wolf card.  And when I spoke with Jinx recently, he told me I am finally free to be whoever I want to be,” Tightening her grip in Trace’s fur, she said, “He said I’m finally safe.  That Trace, Chase and Angel will protect me when Jinx can’t.”

“And he’s right,” Nico said from his seat two seats up.  Turning around to face them, he told Jade, “Your mom, your Alpha and your mate will always keep you safe.  But they aren’t the only ones, Jade.  The rest of us will, too.  You are Angel’s daughter, a part of this family.  We protect what’s ours.”

Gazing at the faces around her, Jade smiled gratefully, before her smile dimmed.  “But what about Jinx?” she whispered.  “Who will keep him safe?”

“We will,” Angel promised, from her position at the front of the plane.  “We will help him take down the General, Jade.  And then we will bring your brother home.”

Trace purred deeply, nudging her thigh with his nose.  Smiling down at him, she gently stroked his neck.  “So, Rikki, what was your question?” she asked, changing the subject, as she continued running her hands over the beautiful black panther lying next to her.

“I know you can fight, Jade,” Rikki said.  “No matter how hard you tried to hide it, I always knew you could fight and shoot.  I don’t, however, get the impression you enjoy it.  If feels more like you do it because you have to, not because you want to.”

Nodding her head in agreement, Jade said, “Jinx taught me to fight and shoot.” Glancing over at her mate she admitted softly, “He taught me to kill.  I can kill a man several different ways.  And I have.”

“Exactly,” Rikki exclaimed.  “I saw it.  I accidentally touched your coat one day without my gloves.  I promise you it wasn’t on purpose, but it happened.  I saw you dressed in this skimpy little teddy thing.  You were in a hotel room with some sleaze ball.  The guy said something to you.  You smiled at him, and then slipped a knife out from under a pillow and slit his throat.”

At the threatening rumble in Trace’s throat, Jade whispered into his mind,
I promise I didn’t sleep with him, Trace.

The rumbling slowly stopped and then he growled,
I know you didn’t, baby.  A man can tell when he’s a woman’s first.  I just don’t like the thought of anyone else seeing you naked.

“My question,” Rikki continued, unaware of the discussion going on between Trace and Jade, “is if you are capable of something like that, then why did you let that sick bastard kick your ass back in May?  You almost died.  You could have taken him!”

Trace’s head snapped up and he rose slowly.  Baring his teeth, he let out a powerful roar. “Oh shit,” Rikki said, her eyes going wide.  “Trace didn’t know what happened?”

“No,” Angel said as she slowly made her way back to a very pissed off cat shifter.  “I didn’t tell him because he didn’t need the distraction.”

Trace crouched low, his whole body vibrating with rage, ready to spring at Angel.  Jade moved quickly, wrapping her arms around his neck and trying to push him back.  “It’s ok, Trace.  I’m fine.  It never should have happened in the first place.  But it wasn’t anyone’s fault but my own.”

Shifting quickly out of his cat, Trace pulled Jade into his lap, holding her tightly against him.  “That was not your choice to make, Angel,” he growled.  “Jade is my mate, dammit.  I should have been here for her.” 

“Your place at the time was tracking down your father,” Angel insisted, glaring at him, her hands on her hips.  “I was here for Jade.”

“Actually, Trace is right,” Jade interjected coldly.  “His place was with me.  You should have contacted him.  But now is not the time to debate this.  You need to back away and let him calm down.” 

Turning to Rikki as Angel stubbornly refused to move, Jade said, “To answer your question, Rikki, I didn’t kick his ass because there were too many emotions being thrown in my direction and I couldn’t keep them locked out.  The man was full of hate and anger.  The children were terrified, the women were scared for the children.  It was all too much.  Normally I can block out most emotions, but this time they consumed me and I lost my focus.  Jinx tried to help, but there was nothing he could do.  I was too far gone.”