Jacob's Ladder (String of Fate) Read online

  They had to fly over a large swath of the state to get to the mountains. They were aiming for a small sector in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A secretive little mountain ridge where everyone was a shifter and the dominant group was a Pack of fox families.

  “Mount Sterling isn’t far now,” Jake reported via the headsets they had both donned in order to hear each other speak over the noise of the chopper blades. “There’s a pretty famous lookout at the peak, but we’re aiming for a more secluded section of the ridge about four miles from the peak.” He executed a few maneuvers that she assumed were for their protection. “There’s a cabin and a group of hidden caverns where the shifter families live. There’s also a circle of stones at the highpoint of the ridge but the whole area is protected magically and by some pretty interesting topography that keeps the humans away, for the most part. We’re going to land in a small clearing…” he trailed off as he dropped altitude.

  Ria saw the ridge of a mountain in front of them and it looked like the spine of some great animal. As they drew closer, she felt the energy of the place and realized there was a huge concentration of magic nearby. This was a special place, indeed.

  “There it is,” Jake said, bringing in the chopper on a rapid approach.

  Ria held her breath while he expertly piloted the helicopter into an impossibly small clearing. It was little more than a tiny hole in the otherwise dense forest along one side of the ridge on a mostly flat outcropping. But his skills were up to the test and he brought them to a gentle stop. One minute they were above the trees, the next they were surrounded by thick pine forest on all sides, with the rotors spinning down.

  “There’s Ben,” Jake said as he took off his headset. She followed his line of sight to a tall man walking slowly out of the tree line. He was making some odd gestures with his hands and she saw Jake breathe easier. “Perimeter is secure. Everything is safe for now. It’s okay to get out.”

  Jake threw open his door and quickly came around to her side to help her down. She grabbed the satchel of goodies Edvard had given her—a change of clothes and some other items—and joined him on the ground. After that harrowing ride, she was glad to have solid earth under her feet once again.

  She realized they weren’t on dirt. No, this area was clear because it was scraped down to the rock from which the mountains had formed. No topsoil meant nothing could grow in this little patch. Handy.

  “Ria, this is Ben Steel,” Jake made the introductions. Ria held out her hand to the other man and was pleased by the way he met her gaze. He might be human, but he was a strong example of his species.

  “Thank you for helping my people,” she said, wanting to be sure to get that out of the way first. More than anything, she wanted to see her Guard, but she also didn’t want to disrespect this human’s effort on their behalf. “Are they nearby?” Ria was a little puzzled that at least one of her Guard hadn’t come out to meet her.

  “They’re on perimeter watch. As soon as you get into the trees, they’ll come out. We want to be cautious of any satellite surveillance the enemy might have access to. In fact…” Ben took the baseball cap off his own head and plunked it down on Ria’s with little ceremony. “Let’s get you under cover of the canopy, ma’am.”

  “Good idea,” Jake added as they made a dash for the trees which weren’t all that far away. Ben stopped as she handed his hat back to him.

  “I’ll secure the chopper and do what I can for camouflage,” he said to Jake as Ria felt rather than saw her Guard converge on a path toward her. Ben turned away as Jake thanked him and within seconds, they were surrounded.

  Dorian reached her first, bowing his head slightly, though he never lowered his eyes, as was proper protocol among their people.

  “My queen, it’s good to see you in one piece,” Dorian said with genuine warmth. His lips twitched up into a smile she felt herself responding to in kind.

  “It’s good to be in one piece, Dor. How’s Bronson?”

  “On my feet, milady,” Bronson replied in a chipper voice as he bounded up beside her.

  He was so young, so full of energy. The thought that he might’ve died just a few days ago was abhorrent to her. She reached out to take his hand, surprising him with a hug that he returned awkwardly.

  “I’m sorry you got hurt, my friend, and I’m glad to see you on your feet again,” she whispered before letting him go. She wasn’t surprised to feel a couple of tears gathering in her eyes, but they didn’t fall, for which she was grateful.

  Shelly and Burgess came forward next, greeting her and assuring her all was well. They were the most seasoned of her current Guard and they more or less led the rest. They gave her an update on the situation as they escorted her through the trees, Jake trailing behind.

  When they led her around to the back door of a cabin, she went in with them, aware of Jake following. The back entrance had tree cover while the front of the place had a slight clearing, which could probably be seen from a satellite. When they were all inside the small building, she turned to Jake and motioned him forward. He had a closed expression on his face, and she saw the resistance on the faces of her Guard, but this confrontation had to happen and now was better than later.

  “Everyone, this is Jake, the man who swept me out of your presence the other night and brought me to safety. He is also my mate.”

  “Mate?” Shelly gasped, unable to hide her shock. The others seemed to handle their surprise and alarm a little better.

  “Yeah, Shel, he’s my true mate and a powerful seer. He knew where and when to be there to save me and he’s foreseen things that may help us in our fight against the Venifucus. Give him a chance.”

  “I’m sorry, milady. It just took me by surprise. He’s human? Or mage?” Shelly’s confusion was clearly evident.

  “Human, yes,” Jake answered standing at Ria’s side. “Mage, no. Just a seer. That’s my one trick.”

  “And it’s a helluva trick to have,” Ben Steel said, coming through the front door of the cabin and closing it behind himself. “Saved our asses more than once when we served together,” he went on. “Don’t you be doubting my boy Jake over there,” he said to the pantera Guards. “He’s as good as they come and he can probably best any one of you in hand-to-hand.”

  “Now that I’d like to see,” Bronson muttered just a little too loud.

  Ria bristled. “Instead of fighting among ourselves, shouldn’t we all be preparing for what’s to come from our enemy?” Jake’s hand on her waist tried to soothe her, but she didn’t like the way her people disrespected her mate. They would learn to respect him, or they would learn to be elsewhere. She didn’t want anyone around her and Jake who didn’t take her choices seriously. And who she chose to mate with was the most important choice she had ever made, as far as she was concerned.

  Mating was for life. It was destiny. A shifter didn’t really choose a mate. Their mate was chosen for them long before they were ever born. In all the world there was only one special soul that matched theirs and it was up to each shifter to find that perfect match. When that happened, it was a true mating, and anyone who doubted Ria’s claims about Jake being her perfect mate didn’t belong in their inner circle.

  There wasn’t time to fix that right now, when they were all facing a serious threat, but at the earliest opportunity, there would probably have to be a shakeup among her Royal Guard. Anyone who wouldn’t accept Jake would have to find someplace else to work. Jake was the most important person in her life now and if her protectors couldn’t accept that, then they weren’t the friends she thought they had been.

  “Don’t worry, love. They’ll come around in time,” Jake whispered near her ear.

  “Do we have that kind of time?” She looked up at him, turning her neck to the side to meet his gaze. His eyes grew troubled and she knew they didn’t have the luxury of time without him even saying one word.

  “Sitrep,” she demanded, lowering her satchel to the table at the center of the large r
oom. She sat and her people did likewise, except for Shelly, who kept watch by the back door.

  Burgess delivered the report she’d demanded. “The foxes are watching the front. Ben’s got a few friends in the area as well, which he’ll tell you about in a minute,” Burgess gestured toward the human who had taken a seat next to Jake. “We called for reinforcements and the beta team will arrive within the hour. They’re coming by ground. The foxes have set up a watch on the single road below the ridge and will guide the beta team up here. I expect notification of their arrival at the base of the ridge any minute now.” He looked at his cell phone, then placed it down on the table. “The fox Alpha wants a meeting, as per custom. He’s a very understanding guy, and he’s helped us—mostly because his mate is a seer and demanded he do so.” Burgess nodded toward Jake with a touch of skepticism in his gaze that he couldn’t quite hide, but Ria let it go for now. “She took the non-combatants and half his soldiers to safety. They’ve left half their soldiers—about a dozen—to act as guides and scouts for us. So far, they’ve lived up to their end of our bargain and I have no reason to doubt their sincerity.”

  “Why so trusting?” Ria asked, knowing Burgess was usually the most cautious of her people.

  “There was also a priestess among their Pack and there’s a stone circle not far from here. The priestess and the female Alpha together are quite a force to be reckoned with. They are half-sisters and it’s clear they are on our side.”

  “Half-sisters?” Ria tried to puzzle that out.

  “Yeah, their mother was human. She was married to a human first and the priestess was the result. He died out here in the woods on a camping trip. A fox male found the woman and her little girl and rescued them. They were mated not long after and their daughter subsequently mated the current Alpha once she had grown up.” Burgess presented the facts, but Ria sensed there was much more to the story. He had to have had quite a conversation with the foxes to get into that kind of detail about their personal lives.

  “All right,” she said, accepting his judgment on the trustworthiness of the fox Pack for the moment. “So what are our numbers?”

  “A dozen fox scouts. The four of us and the entire beta team—that’s eight more—within the hour,” Burgess replied quickly, then looked at Ben Steel.

  “Me plus three other ex-commandos, who are working with the fox scouts at the moment, getting the lay of the land. I’ll be sending one man up top to the stone circle to set up a guidance beacon that will help a few more friends drop in.” Ben smiled as if he had a juicy secret and Ria couldn’t wait to hear what the resourceful human had up his sleeve.

  “Enough with the cat-who-swallowed-the-canary grin, already,” Jake groused with a chuckle. “Who’s coming?”

  “A full platoon of Moore’s men,” Ben said with a broad grin. “I made a few calls and Burgess helped authorize the whole thing.”

  Burgess sat back, clearly pleased as he spread his hands on the table. “I called Cade and he was able to pull a few strings,” he admitted. “You can’t get better backup than the Wraiths.”

  Ria had heard of the secretive group that was mentioned only in whispers. That the humans knew about them was surprising. She looked at Jake with one eyebrow raised in question.

  “Jesse Moore is a legend in Special Forces circles. Nobody knew he was a shifter except for people like me, and a chosen few. A lot of his fellow ex-Spec Ops shifter friends have congregated around him in Wyoming. It’s known in certain circles that they hire out for worthy causes.”

  “Can’t get much worthier than this,” Burgess agreed. “The minute he knew who was asking for help, he agreed to send a full platoon. He would’ve sent more, he said, but they’ve been stretched pretty thin with all the action lately. He’s not even charging their usual fee. Only asked for expenses so they could get here fast.”

  “Wow,” Ria said, laughing a bit at her own lack of eloquence. She was surprised at the caliber of help they had been able to summon. Maybe they did stand a chance up here on this lonely mountain ridge after all.

  Burgess’s phone beeped and he flipped it over to check the screen. “They’re here,” he reported. “The scouts are bringing them up now. Should be at the cabin in about twenty minutes since they’re coming in two-legged with supplies.” Everyone knew the Guards—who were all shifters—could’ve gotten there faster on four feet, but without the gear that would come in handy when they were in their human forms.

  “That ought to be enough time to meet with the local Alpha,” Ria realized. “I think I’ve kept him waiting long enough.” She stood and everyone else rose as well. Ria’s Guard surrounded her as she made her way toward the back door.

  “The Alpha’s den is only a short distance away,” Ben said, acting as guide.

  She and Jake followed Ben, with two of her Guard as escort, toward what looked like a rock formation. Instead of just a pile of rocks, it was the cleverly concealed entrance to a cavern system that held all the conveniences of home. Rather than rudimentary cave dwellings, these cunning foxes had created a unique sort of home, hidden from view, beneath the spine of the ridge.

  Ria had no idea how far back the caverns extended, but she was very impressed by both the quality of the furnishings and the ease of defense. There appeared to be only one way in or out and it was a narrow, hidden corridor with twists and turns that led through a high rock formation. Snipers could easily pick off anyone who tried to come in that way. Ria sensed though, that there were back entrances and connecting caves in this underground maze that only the foxes knew. It was quite a complex.

  The Alpha met them in one of the forward rooms, near the mouth of the first cavern. She could see more openings leading off from there, and was intrigued, but there was no time to explore. First things first. She had to greet the Alpha on his home territory and make sure all the protocols were met. Tradition was very important to shifters and she wanted to be sure to adhere to it as much as possible, even in this time of crisis.

  She also wanted to take the measure of the man her people had been dealing with. While she trusted their judgment, it was important to make her own decisions. The Nyx could trust no one implicitly—except maybe her mate. Ria took Jake’s hand as they were ushered into the large room near the front of the cave system. He glanced at her, a question in his eyes, but she couldn’t explain. Not now. It was enough that he was by her side. They would be partners from now on. She felt an immense sense of relief—coupled with a tiny bit of guilt—that she would no longer have to shoulder the burden of her position alone.

  Ria gave Jake a smile, then turned to see the man waiting for them in the front room.

  Not just a man, she quickly amended her thoughts. A man and his arsenal, apparently. She almost did a double take, but resisted. She knew her eyes had widened by the spark of humor in the man across the room’s eyes. They were snapping golden eyes in a tanned face framed with—what else—red hair. The man was a fox, after all.

  “Alpha, thank you for seeing us,” Ria said, moving ahead, with Jake at her side. The sheer number of weapons in this room should have intimidated her, but in this particular instance, she was happy to see the foxes were well-armed for what might come.

  She extended her hand and the fox did something surprising in one not of her own species. He moved in front of her and dropped to his knees, taking her hand in his and kissing the back of it lightly, sniffing her scent from her outstretched fingers. His eyes closed in what looked like relief mixed with joy for a moment as she puzzled out his response to her presence. She didn’t meet a lot of other species all that often—especially not of the canine variety. Mostly she was surrounded by cats all the time and they were much more aloof, like their animal cousins.

  The man rose to his feet and let go of her hand. His smile stretched from ear to ear.

  “Forgive me, milady, I just never thought to meet the Nyx. I know it doesn’t show on the outside, but my mother—the woman who raised me after finding me orphaned in t
he snow as a baby—was tigre d’or. She met your predecessor once and was told she would have a child, but in an unexpected way. She couldn’t have cubs of her own, but when she came upon the scene of my parents’ murder by hunters, she saved me, remembering the Nyx’s words, and raised me as her own. So in a way, I have your predecessor to thank for being alive.”

  “Wow.” There she went, being eloquent again. Ria almost kicked herself. She cleared her throat and tried again. “I’m glad my mother was able to give yours a message that helped you both. And now I understand what my mother told me last night,” she thought out loud. Seeing the spark of interest in the man’s golden eyes, she went on. “Last night during the new moon ceremony, I talked to my mother for the first time since she passed. She told me that things were coming full circle and that I would find allies among those whose lives had already been touched by the Nyx. I thought she meant my Royal Guard, but now I see she had an even deeper meaning in mind.”

  “Your mother was a great lady. I’m sorry for her loss,” the fox Alpha said with deep respect in his tenor voice that brought a bit of a tear to her eye.

  “Thank you, Alpha. She was the best and I’m glad she was able to touch your life in some small way. Your mother sounds like an amazing woman too.”

  The man grinned. “That she is. Now, please, call me Alan, and welcome to the McCoy Clan den. My people stand ready to assist you in any way we can.”

  It was almost too good to be true, but Ria didn’t doubt the man’s welcome one bit. Not when it was clear there were larger forces at work in this meeting than Ria could have imagined.

  “Thank you, Alan. Call me Ria. And this is my mate, Jake,” she introduced Jake, who had stood patiently at her side, watching the exchange.

  The two men shook hands and though the fox Alpha was slightly shorter than Jake, he was every bit as powerful. This was a meeting of equals, regardless of the fact that Jake was human and the Alpha had all the advantages of an Alpha shifter. Fox or not, it was clear this guy, Alan McCoy, was a powerhouse.