Page 86 of Cruel Revenge
It was a second before he realized just what was happening. It was a stunningly bold move that he couldn’t quite believe.
He finally released his mate, her eyes wide as she caught on to his thoughts. He ran for the door and slammed through it, letting it bang off its hinges as he got outside.
He was too late. Heath’s truck was already leaving.
“Hasan…” Dirk called out.
Hasan turned slowly, knowing his eyes were gold. Dirk swallowed.
“Grandfather.”
That made Hasan relax, but only slightly.
“They won’t hurt Jacky. And I gave them comms. We’ll be able to talk to them. We’ll know what’s happening.” Dirk looked around, then back at Hasan, but Hasan saw his eyes linger on Subira. “But if Jacky is only thinking of Carey and her safety, if that’s the theory… then Heath and Landon are the best bet. They’re the two people Jacky will trust over anyone when it comes to Carey’s life.”
Hasan stared at the young man as his mate turned between them, from looking at Dirk to Hasan once more.
“He’s not wrong,” she said, sighing. “Zuri and I will be ready if they need to fight magic with magic, but it’s probably best no one else even gets close. Depending on how far gone Jacky is… two otherwitchesmight be a problem… And I don’t want Zuri and me to have to hurt her.”
“I’ll be damned before I hurt my little sister,” Zuri growled. “You know me better than that, Mother.”
“She might not see you as a friend,” Subira said softly. “Heath and Landon share a deep familial scent with Carey. It could break through.”
Zuri looked at Hasan. Everyone looked at him. Subira was the more powerful ancient, but he held the authority.
Hasan wanted to go himself, but he knew better than to argue with a mother werecat when it was time to kill someone for hurting her baby.
And Jacky is going to kill everyone near Carey if they don’t somehow kill her first.
“We wait for word from Heath and Landon,” he said, deciding to trust. Not a werewolf. Hasan wasn’t relying on a werewolf. He was trusting the man his daughter loves. Trusting the fellow Tribunal member. Trusting a father who wanted to bring his daughter home alive.
He trusted us to help save Carey. I can trust him to save Jacky.
31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Iparked somewhere, leaving everything I owned in the car, none of it mattering. I was close. So close.
I listened to all my senses, letting them guide me. I could hear water, smell the sea, and taste the salt of ocean air from the nearby Gulf, but that wasn’t what I wanted. I had caught the scents of these witches before. Distantly, but I could recognize them if I paid enough attention. They were around, on the wind, as I started to prowl the street, looking for my prey.
I was going to help Carey. I was going to protect my daughter. She wasn’t going to be safe until all the witches were dead.
So, I was going to kill all of them first. I had to kill them all first. When she was free, I wanted her to be able to run without anyone trying to catch her again. I wasn’t going to risk it again.
So, I needed to make sure all of them were dead.
I walked, letting my nose take in everything, guiding me to where I wanted to be. She was somewhere in these buildings on this block. One of these places was going to be protected by witches.
I caught a whiff of magic, holding back a joyous roar as I learned they weren’t hiding the scent of ithere. They never expected us to find them here, so they didn’t even try.
I followed the scent, the scents of the witches I had encountered growing stronger. I went between two buildings, knowing I would be better served coming up behind my prey than from the front.
Then I saw it through an open garage door on the back of the concrete building. The semi from the video that took the werewolves. Memory sharp, I knew it was the same plate. I slipped in, prowling, a proper hunter.
I saw two witches but didn’t hear the words they were saying. I was guided by instincts I wasn’t born with, fully giving myself to them. By letting the impulse of the wild nature of the curse guide me, I was embracing the monster the curse meant for us to be.
For Carey, I was okay being a monster.
