Jacob's Ladder (String of Fate) (2 page)

He had been seeing Ria in his visions of the future for more than a year now, though. He had been able to identify her at the wedding reception his sister had invited him to attend in Iceland. He still wasn’t sure why his newly-mated sister had thought to invite him to the wedding of the tiger-shifter king at his stronghold. Humans—and clairvoyants—didn’t usually mix with shifters. But his sister had married into the panther Clan when she’d mated with Cade.

Oddly enough, Cade was Ria’s cousin. He had been a Royal Guard, protecting Ria, when he had crossed paths with Jake’s little sister, Ellie. He saved her life. She helped him keep Ria—the queen of his people—safe and Ellie and Cade had fallen in love and married soon after. Jake had been in Asia during that whole episode, freaking out that his sister was in danger and he was too far away to help her.

That was one of the times his visions came too late to do any real good. He had tried to call and warn her, but communications had been very iffy where he’d been. When he had finally gotten through to leave a voicemail, it was after he’d already had another vision that showed everything working out okay. He had left that message but hadn’t been sure she’d gotten it until much, much later.

Then Ellie’s childhood friend, Gina, had been revealed as a tiger shapeshifter. Jake had always known there was something a little different about Gina, but he had kept his mouth shut, knowing in his heart, Gina’s secret was nothing bad. Gina had a pure heart, and her parents were downright spooky on the mystical level. Jake had only met them once, but that one occasion had been memorable.

Only now did he realize he had met the tiger king in exile. Gina was a tiger shifter princess and her new mate was the new king of all tiger shifters. His name was Mitch and he was also a former Royal Guard, like Cade. In fact, he had been Cade’s partner, in service to protect Ria, the
pantera noir
queen. Her title was Nyx. Just like they called the tiger king the Tig’Ra. There was a complicated societal structure behind all the big cat shifter Clans that Jake was beginning to learn about through his sister and her husband—or mate, which was the term the shifters used.

Cade was only a cousin of the royal line, but if anything happened to Ria, he was in line to succeed as
pantera noir
monarch. Jake was certain that none of them wanted anything to happen to Ria. Being the queen of the black panther shifters was a heavy responsibility—even more so than Mitch’s role as leader of the tiger shifters. There was something mysterious and weighty about the role the Nyx played in this that Jake didn’t fully understand yet…but he would.

The visions were leading him somewhere and he figured by the end of this whole episode, he would know all of Ria’s secrets.

He piloted the helicopter out to sea, surprised by Ria’s silence. She had put on the headset that would allow them to communicate over the noise of the helicopter’s engine, but she hadn’t said a word since they left the rooftop. She had only stared out the window at the roiling seas far below.

Jake kicked himself mentally. She had probably lost friends in that warehouse. She was very close with those who guarded her day-to-day. They were not only her colleagues, but her friends. And it was possible at least one of them had died for her tonight. The others…well…Jake wasn’t really sure of the health of the rest of her Royal Guard team. No doubt, several of them were badly injured, but there was one thing he could give her…

“Your Guard escaped,” he said quietly over the headsets they both wore.

Ria’s head swiveled so she could meet his gaze.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that none of your Guard is being held prisoner by the people who tried to kill you tonight.”

“How can you be so sure?” Her dark gaze was almost accusatory, but he was used to people being suspicious of his words.

He took a moment to tap his temple. “I saw it. Didn’t Ellie tell you about me?”

“Tell me what about you?” Her gorgeous eyes narrowed.

Jake couldn’t quite believe it. The one time he had counted on his little sister’s blabbing mouth, she hadn’t spilled the beans.

“I see the future, Ria,” he said quietly, wondering how she was going to take his news.

She held his gaze for a beat before a smile broke over her face. She laughed and if the situation hadn’t been so dire, he might have been enchanted by the tinkling sound of her amusement. As it was, he wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Seriously? Is that the best you can come up with?” She laughed once more before subsiding. “You nearly sweep me off my feet at Mitch and Gina’s wedding and then disappear, only to storm in—with a
helicopter
, no less—to save my life tonight, and that’s how you’re going to play it? You can see the future. Yeah, right. And I’m the queen of England.”

“No, you’re a queen of a much rarer kind. You’re the Nyx, Ria. You control one of the gateways between realms.”

The smile disappeared from her face. “Did Ellie tell you that? I should warn you, humans don’t usually grasp all the nuances of shifter culture. She must’ve misunderstood something Cade told her.”

Jake could see the anger in her eyes. Man, she was pretty when her eyes sparked like that, even if it meant someone was in trouble. She was probably wondering what her cousin had told his new mate, but Jake couldn’t reassure Ria that her secret was still as safe as it had ever been until she believed him. He wasn’t sure how he would convince her, but he had to keep trying.

“Ellie didn’t tell me anything. I saw it. Starting over a year ago. Every month right around the new moon I saw the same thing, though it took me a few months to figure out the pattern. Every month I see you speaking for those in realms beyond. They come to the doorway and you listen and speak for them, but you always seem to miss the most important message of all. You’ve been ignoring the warning, Ria, and your spirit guardians have apparently decided it’s time for some intervention. That would be me, I think.”

“You can’t be serious. You’re speaking nonsense, like some New Age nutjob.” She turned her face away, returning to staring out the window at the ocean below. Hmm. Well, Jake was nothing if not persistent. He had to get her to listen to him somehow.

“There’s an older woman,” he said after a moment’s consideration. “She looks a heck of a lot like you. Why have you been ignoring her? She’s been waiting at the portal, but you always take others before her.”

Silence greeted his words and for a minute he thought he’d lost her, but then, slowly, she turned to look at him again, her eyes wide. “How do you know these things?”

“I told you. I’m clairvoyant. Always have been. I’ve gotten better at interpreting the things I see as I’ve grown older, but I’ve seen glimpses of the future pretty much all my life. Ask Ellie if you don’t believe me. Even Gina knows about it. My gift was hard to hide from our closest friends growing up.” If Ria wouldn’t take the word of his sister—a human—she would probably give more credence to the testimony of a fellow shifter and monarch, his sister’s best friend, Gina.

But Ria didn’t say anything for a long moment. She merely stared hard at him, her eyes narrowed.

She seemed on the verge of saying something that would tip the balance, but instead, she turned away. Her gaze sought the dark waters in front of the helicopter.

“Where are we going?” she asked, dodging the really tough topic of whether or not she believed his claim. He’d let her wriggle free…for now.

“There’s a yacht awaiting our arrival,” he said, adjusting a few controls as he began the approach that would take them to the helipad of the multi-million dollar craft.

“Really?” Her tone was suspicious. “You own a yacht?” That last bit had a definite, unspoken
yeah, right
after it.

“I never said it was mine. It belongs to a friend. A friend of yours too, actually. Samson Kinkaid loaned me the use of his yacht and helicopter when I asked.”

“You know Sam?” Those lovely eyes of hers pinned him once more. How he wished he could erase the ever-present suspicion in them.

He would have to work on earning her trust. He wanted her to look at him as she did in his visions. But that would have to wait. He knew those particular glimpses of the future were nebulous at best. A lot would have to happen to make that part of the future into a reality.

“Sam and I go way back. We first met in Tibet. We studied together there for a while. We’ve been friends ever since, even though our paths don’t cross often these days. I don’t hang out with the jet set much.” He smiled ruefully as he turned back to his controls. He could just see the yacht’s lights in the distance, which meant Ria must have seen them already. He knew she had much sharper eyesight than he did. That was just one of the gifts of her shifter heritage.

“Tibet, huh? What were you studying there?” She kept her eyes focused ahead as she spoke.

“Life. Spirit. Martial arts,” he answered with an inner grin. He would feed the curious cat, but on his terms. He’d spent enough time in Tibet to learn the art of being mystical.

“Where did you study? At a temple or something?”

“You could say that.” He saw he was losing her interest, so he decided to drop another little tidbit. “It was the snowcat enclave, in fact.”

Now he had her. She turned to look at him, her eyes wide.

“No way.”

He couldn’t help the grin that spread over his face. “Way.” He sensed she didn’t quite believe him. “I’ll take you there one day.”

Damn
. He hadn’t meant to tell her that. He had seen them there, in that village high in the Himalayas. Together. It was one of his most precious visions because in that small snippet of a possible future, they were both happy and smiling, and the look in her eyes as she gazed at him held a kind of love he had never experienced.

He wanted that. He wanted to make that future into a reality. Had he ruined his chances by saying too much?

“Of course you will. And then I’ll fly to the moon on the back of my pet pegasus.” She seemed to let the comment pass, turning back to the lights that were growing ever clearer as they approached the yacht.

Jake let the silence stretch as he brought the helicopter in for a landing on the helipad positioned on one end of the giant yacht. He didn’t radio the captain, having already alerted the man that he would be running silent, but the man had his crew ready and waiting to secure the chopper when they landed.

Ria didn’t need any instruction on when and how to get out of the helicopter and she seemed to assess everyone she saw before her gaze came back to rest on Jake. She joined him near the stairs that led down from the helipad to the deck.

“What now?” she asked. There was no trace of what she might be thinking or feeling in her voice. No, she was all business. Calm, cool and collected. Even after what they’d just been through. Jake wanted to break through that composure, but knew it would take time.

“First, we check with the captain to see if there’s any word from the shore. I left a watcher in place to let us know what happened after our departure. If all went as planned, there should be a report waiting for us. Then perhaps we can scrounge up something to eat. Or would you rather rest in your state room?”

“Let’s go to the captain then. I want to know what happened back there.”

“Your wish is my command.” He bowed slightly, unable to help the little bit of humor that kept wanting to come out. He was finally here. With her. Doing the things he had only seen in his visions to this point. It felt good to have the pivotal moments behind him—at least for now.

She was safe and with him. He would do his best to keep her that way.

Chapter Two

Ria had known in a roundabout way that Sam Kinkaid was loaded, but the opulence of his yacht still sort of blew her away. They walked down the stairs from the helipad, escorted by a silent, polite warrior. There was no doubt the man was a shifter and some kind of highly trained soldier. Whether he was there to protect her or just solely to protect Sam’s property, she didn’t know, but either way, he was an imposing presence.

The man had nodded once to Jake as they neared and then turned to escort them to the bridge. There had been respect in the gesture that wasn’t something Ria would have expected, given the fact that Jake was undeniably human. His scent was that of pine and incense. A mystical blend that was slightly intoxicating, but still absolutely human. Maybe a little magical, but not in the usual sense of the word.

Maybe he really was clairvoyant, but Ria wasn’t putting any money on that claim. Not yet. He would have to prove himself to her before she believed that sort of thing. True seers were rarer than rare.

Their escort smelled of big cat. Not panther, but possibly lion. Maybe tiger. He was staying downwind and at a slight distance so it was hard for her to get a good read on his scent, but he was definitely a shifter.

She didn’t feel any imminent threat from him. Quite the opposite in fact. She knew Sam Kinkaid well enough to give the benefit of the doubt to any shifter he hired to be part of his personal crew, but she would keep her eyes open. Trust, but verify was something she’d learned from a human leader that had always made a lot of sense to her. Shifters were, at times, subject to the vagaries of their animal natures. It made sense to keep one eye on any new predator in the area.

And this strange warrior was most definitely a predator of the first order.

He seemed to respect Jake, though. It almost felt as if he already knew the human. Like they had some shared history. She would have to get to the bottom of the mystery there. It wasn’t often that humans mixed with shifters as easily as Jake appeared to. He seemed perfectly at home with her dual nature and didn’t even blink at the cat-shifter warrior who had met them at the helipad.

She would have to investigate the reasons behind that a little further. Her curiosity was piqued and like all cats, her curiosity was something that demanded satisfaction. She would get to the bottom of the mysterious human who has rescued her sooner or later.

They arrived at the bridge and their escort stayed just at the doorway while Jake ushered her inside as if he, not Sam Kinkaid, owned the place. He shook hands with the captain like an old friend, then turned to introduce her, but she needed no introduction to the big man who stood near the helm. She moved into his open arms with an audible sigh of relief. If there was anyone on earth she could trust to help her in this dire situation, it was the captain of this ship.

“Uncle Ed,” she smiled as she hugged the older man. “I always knew you were a pirate, but when did you take to the high seas?” She stepped back, out of his embrace, but didn’t go far. She was aware of Jake at her back, but the reunion with one of her favorite teachers took precedence.

“Little Ria, you’ve blossomed into a fine young queen. It’s been too long.” He held her at arm’s length, looking her over as if to make sure she was whole and undamaged. “But I hear you take too many risks, sweetheart. What good is all your training if you aren’t around to use it?”

“I guess you two already know each other.” Ria heard the slight bristling in Jake’s tone.

If he had been a shifter, she might’ve thought he was staking a claim—albeit a light one—but Jake was human. They didn’t do such things, did they? She didn’t know enough about humans to really know for certain.

“Little Ria was one of my best students, back in the day,” Edvard replied, transferring Ria to stand next to him, his big arm looped over her shoulders, tucking her into his side.

She felt safe and protected by the older man. She always had. Edvard Grantham wasn’t her uncle by blood, but he had taken her under his rather enormous wing and taught her everything she knew about firearms and navigation over land and sea.

Edvard was Sam’s uncle. They were related by the fact that Sam’s father had a sister who had fallen in love outside her own species—with Edvard Grantham. Their children were very powerful shifters. Some were selkies, like Edvard—seal shifters that were highly magical and very long-lived. Edvard himself was much older than he looked. With the sheer volume of magic coursing through his veins, he would likely live for many more centuries.

“I didn’t realize you were a teacher,” Jake said, challenge clear in his tone, but Ed only grinned wider.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Seer. And a lot you’ll probably discover in time. So my sister says and I’ve never had reason to doubt her vision.” Edvard’s words startled Ria.

It was rumored Ed’s sister, Sophia, was a true foreseer, but she lived in seclusion. Ria didn’t know for certain if the tales were true, but the very fact that Ed had called Jake a seer raised both her eyebrows and her suspicions.

If anyone would know if Jake’s claims at clairvoyance were true, it would be Edvard Grantham. He alone was the only person Ria knew who actually might know someone with that rarest of magical gifts. If the rumors were true.

Things were starting to get interesting. If Jake was telling the truth…well…a lot of her assumptions would have to change. And his words all those months ago at the tiger king’s wedding were racing around in her mind. He’d said that he was going to help her save the world.

Sweet Mother of All. If he really did see the future, they were probably in for a rocky ride.

Jake didn’t like the way the yacht’s captain held Ria so familiarly. He felt a little frisson of both envy and jealousy rear up inside him that he was powerless to stop. He did his best to control it, but he knew damn well that Edvard saw right through his words and body language. Damn. Jake didn’t like being so transparent. He had worked long and hard to be as inscrutable and unreadable as any shifter.

But apparently all it took was one little woman to shake his hard-won cool. Ria made him forget all the training and the work he’d put in to gain respect among these powerful warriors. Most of them were born with native animal abilities that he’d had to work his ass off to duplicate, though never surpass.

Jake could fight alongside the best of the shifters now, but he would never have the same speed and reflexes they came by naturally. He was merely human, while they had inner animal spirits to call on and strengthen them. Jake had to rely solely on his training and the stubborn, subtle magic he had worked years to make behave.

He wasn’t a mage in the usual sense. He didn’t do spells or incantations. The magic wasn’t something he used like a tool. Rather, his special brand of magic
used him
. It worked its will in his mind and body, allowing him to see things that had not yet happened. It was a wild magic that he had tried for years to tame. Only occasionally did it break the bonds he had put on it and have its way with him.

And when that happened, it was usually for a very good reason. Those episodes led to some of his greatest, most urgent prophecies.

But the rest of the time, he was just a highly-trained, warrior human. No different from the usual Spec Ops guys some of the shifter soldiers had worked with and befriended when they had been in the armed services. Only, because of Jake’s unique gift, he had known about shifters from an early age. There was no hiding the dual nature of the animal spirit from Jake’s unique vision.

He had been fortunate enough to find trusted teachers who could set him on the path he knew he had to take. All his life, he had worked toward these events that were beginning to unfold now. He couldn’t see every minute detail, but he knew things were progressing to the nexus point he had been born to foretell and forestall…if at all possible.

He had been born to protect the Nyx.

Only she was going to be a hard woman to convince. But that was okay. Jake liked a challenge.

“And you, my young friend,” the captain turned to him, Ria still tucked familiarly under his massive arm. “I am glad to see you live up to your reputation. Sam told me to give you whatever you wanted and let you do your thing. We shall dine together tonight and I will grill you mercilessly for all your secrets.” He gave a booming laugh and finally released Ria, who was actually giggling.

“He means it too,” she added. “Uncle Ed has probably forgotten more about interrogation than we’ll ever know.” That she dared to tweak the older man’s pride with such casual teasing meant there was a history between them.

Jake calmed a bit at the way she referred to him—twice now—as her uncle. Perhaps his familiarity was merely a paternal sort of affection based on a shared past. Somehow that was easier to take than the idea that she was attracted to the huge shifter.

Jake merely nodded, unsure how to respond. He had met the captain only briefly before setting off on his mission to rescue Ria. He’d known the man was extremely skeptical and really didn’t understand why Sam put so much faith in a mere human, but he hadn’t had the time or inclination to explain. Jake had learned over the years that actions often spoke louder than words.

Nobody had known why exactly Jake had needed to borrow Sam’s helicopter and yacht. Not even Sam. It was a testament to their friendship that Sam hadn’t asked questions when Jake called in the middle of the night and asked for the huge favor. Not even the captain had known where Jake was going or who he would be bringing back, but it had worked out even better than Jake had hoped. Not only did the older man have sympathy for another shifter in trouble, but he knew Ria and held her in high regard if his reaction was anything to go by.

A ringing tone sounded through the bridge. There was a woman at one of the consoles who quickly accepted the transmission. Jake hadn’t seen her before, but he knew she was probably another shifter—one of Sam’s kin or staff, or both.

“Captain, it’s a call from shore asking for someone named Jake.” Her delicate eyebrow rose as she looked in Jake’s direction. They hadn’t been introduced so she was just putting two and two together. Smart girl.

“That’ll probably be my man on shore, reporting in about Ria’s people,” Jake said in a low voice, knowing the shifters all had superior hearing. No need to shout around these people.

“Put it on the speaker please,” Ria ordered, leaving Edvard’s side to move closer to the woman and her console of complicated controls.

Jake moved next to her, touching her arm. “Are you sure you want to hear this?” Jake knew in all likelihood, she had lost friends in the action tonight. His watcher likely wouldn’t know she was listening and wouldn’t soften the words of his report.

Ria’s eyes closed for a single moment as she seemed to steel herself. “I must.”

He had to admire her strength, even if he disagreed with the idea that she had to face everything alone. She would soon learn that he would be at her side, ready to share her burdens…for as long as she would let him.

“All right then.” He nodded to the woman and she flipped a switch.

“You’re on speaker,” the woman said softly.

“Jake?” A man’s voice came over the speakers in the wheelhouse.

“I’m here. We’re safe. What happened after we left?” Jake almost dreaded the casualty report, but he needed to know what the enemy had done after their prize had been stolen out from under their noses. The enemy’s reaction would dictate his next move.

“As you might expect, once they realized she was gone, they left rapidly. Only a small crew remained to sift through the scene for clues as to where she might’ve gone. I don’t think they found anything. They hung around for a while, but left after reporting in their lack of progress. I believe you got away clean.”

“What about casualties?” Ria blurted. Jake understood the slight edge of desperation in her tone. From what he understood, her Royal Guards were also her dear friends, with her every day, at all times. Losing one would be like losing a member of her extended family.

“Three injured. One seriously. I took the liberty of helping them out of the warehouse and giving them a hand finding an understanding shifter medic.”

“Who are you?” Ria breathed, confusion and relief warring in her voice.

“Sorry, ma’am. My name is Ben. Jake can tell you more. I’ve been aware of your existence for a while and am happy to be able to help. Your people are safe. I can give you a call back in about an hour from their location if you want to speak with them.”

“I would love that. Thank you, Ben. And thank you for helping my friends.”

“It’s my pleasure, ma’am. Glad I could be part of this op, in even a small way. I’ll call back in 57 minutes. Jake, if you need anything else, you know where to find me.”

“Roger that. Thanks, Ben. Call before if there are any changes.”

“Will do.” He hung up without much further ado and the line went to static before the female shifter at the console turned off the speakers.

Ria sagged with relief. “I thought for sure I’d lost Bronson. He was so green. Fresh from training and only in my employ for a few months.”

“Ben said he was injured. He’s not dead and he’s getting medical help. He’ll be okay,” Jake tried to console her. He really wanted to put his arm around her shoulders the way the captain had earlier, but he was afraid she would pull away. It was too soon to take liberties…even small ones like that.