Vision Revealed (26 page)

killer of leopards in all our written history.” Josh slid his empty mug toward Thad’s mate,

who made quick work of refilling it for him. “Even now, in the same breath you tell us

you wish your honor restored, you confess to coming here a year ago with the intention

of sniffing out and killing females who were risking their lives to save dens your sire

persecuted.”

“Were any of the females in that litter harmed?” Jin demanded, her voice sharpening as

she raised her tone slightly. “Did I once make a move toward any of them or sniff them

out in an effort to stop them from what they were doing?”

“Maybe you tried and were unsuccessful,” Race suggested.

Jin snorted. “Hardly, leopard.” Reaching for Kane’s half-filled beer, she took the two

glass mugs to the bar, walking between Thad and Josh, her back to the rest of them when

she slid the mugs to Thad’s mate. “I ran here as my sire ordered but didn’t do anything to

stop what they were doing. I heard the owls hooting and knew the head of VC sent a

message to your mate, telling her to run to Arizona and kill my sire.”

“What owl told you that?” Tore roared, muscles flexing in his large arms when he glared

at Jin.

She had her back to the bar, ignoring the beers waiting behind her. Remaining standing

between Josh and Thad, she addressed Tore, answering his question. “None of them.

Let’s just say I was in the right place at the right time. I think you know as well as I do

the owls remain neutral when it comes to other species’ issues. They’ll relay messages

but only to the male or female meant to hear those words. And I’ve yet to meet an owl

who can be bribed or coerced into disregarding an agreement they’ve entered into.”

“You tried to bribe the information out of the owls?” Tore asked, his sneer implying he

believed Jin would lower herself to such a stunt.

“No,” she insisted, shaking her head. Then murmuring her thanks to Thad’s mate, she

pulled out a couple bills and tossed them on the counter before taking the two mugs and

returning to their table. “I never tried to learn what the owls were about. Nor did I know

they had a message for your mate. I was in a bar south of here when the female owls who

brought the message were returning to their nest. They didn’t recognize me without my

hunter disguise. If they had sniffed me out as a hunter I’m sure they wouldn’t have

discussed what they did in a public diner.”

“So you learned we were on a run to kill Pard and raced back to Arizona to save him

before we could do so.” Tore’s hard glare would cause many leopards to think hard on

what they would say next.

“Not quite.” Jin handed Kane’s beer to him without smiling or meeting his gaze. Their

questions were taking a toll on her and there wasn’t much reason he could see to continue

this meeting much longer. Jin didn’t sit or drink from her beer as she reminisced further.

“I’m sure you could guess how many marks were on my sire’s head.”

“A family trait,” Race grumbled.

“I’ve never had a mark on my head prior to the incident with the werewolf male,” Jin

snapped, showing them how much she despised the event that had transpired and how fed

up she was with it continually being brought up to her. “And I’ll howl through my last

breath that mark isn’t justified. What punishment did the male endure for lying to me?”

Growling under her breath, she slammed back a fair bit of her beer and then placed the

mug on the table with a loud thud. Her frustration was mounting. “I returned to Arizona

because it smelled as if this time my sire would finally be taken out.”

“He would have been too. I say you dishonored us by not allowing my mate the right to

kill the asshole,” Tore growled. “You just told us he was solely responsible for my mate’s

sire and mother’s death.”

“Two deaths I would be willing to pray forgiveness for if you’d allow me to speak to

your mate,” Jin said seriously, the change in her expression showing sincere humility.

“She’d rip your head off.” Tore grinned as if he would enjoy watching it happen.

A quiet chirping sound made Kane’s ears tickle. The sound distracted the group and

saved Tore from getting his ass kicked. In spite of Kane agreeing not to attack any of

them, the male’s behavior toward Jin was continually out of line. Kane itched for the

chance to lay Tore out.

Tore pulled a cell phone from his shirt pocket and stared at it a moment before

mumbling he needed to take the call without looking at any of them. Kane reached for

Jin, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to him. She almost fell onto his lap, showing him

even more how much this session was draining her.

“We’re leaving soon,” he whispered in her hair, cuddling her against him and enjoying

the hell out of how her soft ass felt against his cock.

Jin met his gaze and her sadness created a thick smell between them. He would take her

back to the motel room and fuck her until she could put the events of tonight out of her

head. In his opinion, her howling to the hunters showed how honorable she was. They

would spit and scratch, wearing her down until she wasn’t able to defend herself any

longer against them if he allowed this to go on much longer.

“They aren’t going to forgive me,” she whispered.

“It will take time,” he told her truthfully.

“A pack of werewolves have started a run just north of Kenora,” Tore informed all of

them when he hung up his phone.

“They’re going to raid one of the dens up that way,” Kane announced, grabbing all of

their attention.

“How in the hell do you know that?” Josh demanded, pressing his fists against his waist

as he stared at Kane incredulously.

“I had a vision a few minutes ago.” Kane gulped a fair bit of his beer and then stood,

lifting Jin as he did and then keeping her standing against him when he put his arm

around her. “Our time here is done tonight. We’re heading back north and will scout out

the rural dens until I can spot the area I saw just now in my vision.”

“You’re not leaving yet.” Josh nodded at Jin. “Finish your story. You’re about there and

we all have the right to hear the end.”

They wanted to know where Pard was now. Kane didn’t blame them and although he

was pretty sure he’d seen the cabin where Jin kept him several times now in visions, not

once did he see anyone at the cabin other than Jin and him.

“I reached Arizona and my sire’s den before you and your mate did,” she told Tore,

shifting her weight as she moved in Kane’s arms. “If anything I did you a favor. I knew

the house better than anyone and had no problem burning it to the ground. As each of

Pard’s leopards ran for safety I took them out, killing all of them.” She shivered in his

arms but kept going. “After that, I returned to the mountains where I’ve been ever since.”

“And did you return there alone?” Thad asked, although all of them appeared ready to

have asked the question.

Jin didn’t answer but her scent grew stronger with every second that passed.

“This is where you restore your honor,” Kane pointed out to her. “There was no pain in

sharing the events until now. As horrific as they were, you weren’t to blame for any of

them. Now you must tell us all what we need to hear. Go on, my little cat.”

“No, I didn’t go alone,” she whispered, and collapsed against him.

The others stood quickly, all of them howling at the same time. Kane wrapped his arm

around her, moving to the door. “That is what it took, my precious cat,” he said, ready to

howl her praises for the ultimate move she’d managed to do. “You have restored your

honor and I’ll draw blood from any of them who suggest otherwise.”

“Where is he?” Josh demanded over the continual howls from all of them.

“At my cabin in the mountains. But you can’t sniff him out without me.”

“Like hell we can’t,” Tore snarled.

“Leo Pard won’t cause any more damage to leopards as long as he lives,” Kane growled

at all of them, keeping Jin close when he turned to face them, his back to the door. “Jin

has done what she came here to do. All of you have the truth to your stories now, no

matter how bitter that truth might taste.”

“Not all of it is true,” Josh snapped. “If she is going to continue to howl that my mate

and I are possibly related, you better watch her tail very closely.”

Kane lunged toward Josh and was surprised at how quickly Jin rushed into him, shoving

hard at his side before he could topple into Josh. “You swore there would be no fighting,”

she growled, continuing to shove Kane as she moved in front of him and then grabbed his

shirt.

Kane grabbed her, dragging her to his side. “What’s done is done. You know damn good

and well Jin can’t prove whose blood runs in you and your mate. Take the knowledge

she’s given you and learn for yourself.”

“He’s right and I howled only the truth as I know it. I witnessed and heard of atrocities

and now I’ve shared them all with you. I never expected anything I said tonight to create

the smell of friendship between any of us.” She held her head high as she studied each of

them in turn, her hand still pressed flat against Kane’s chest. “You’ve honored me with

your audience and for that I’m grateful.”

Something tickled Kane’s ear although it wasn’t Tore’s cell phone this time. Race dug a

phone from his back jeans pocket and glanced at the screen. “Dover is outside,” he

announced to no one in particular but stood and walked past Kane and Jin to the door.

The biting chill in the night air succeeded in toning down the stench from so many

outraged emotions in the bar. Although they still had to be fairly easy to smell, the owl

gave no indication he picked up on anything when he entered. His large gray eyes didn’t

blink once as he took in those watching him.

“You’re aware of the situation.” He didn’t make it a question and spoke so calmly, his

manner misleading as he gave off an aura of being a very creature. His blond hair,

streaked with silver, made it hard to guess his age.

“Do you have an update?” Josh asked.

Kane didn’t know this owl very well, but it was clear everyone present considered him a

friend, and the feeling seemed mutual. Dover had texted Race but spoke to Josh as if they

were very comfortable with each other’s presence. The owl never once looked at him or

Jin.

“I counted twenty werewolves on a run north of Kenora,” he began. “But as I flew here

to check on all of you,” he continued, ignoring Thad’s mate when she made a snorting

sound as if checking on them implied the owl probably didn’t want to miss a good fight if

one were to break out, “there is another group of werewolves running down the outer

skirts of the east side of town.”

“All from Rick Bolton’s pack?” Tore asked, standing and taking his mug to the bar.

The others followed suit and Thad joined his mate around the bar as they began washing

the glasses and wiping down the counter.

“That’s my guess.” Dover remained at the doorway, his hand on the knob as he guessed

everyone would be heading out in the next moment. “I’ll fly north and keep you posted.”

Kane kept his hand protectively on Jin when he escorted her across the parking lot to the

car he’d purchased earlier. After unlocking her door and holding it while she slipped in

the passenger side, he then hurried around to the driver’s side.

“Do you know where we’re going?” Jin asked after they’d pulled out of the bar.

Kane glanced at his mirrors, aware they were being followed. Interesting the other

hunters denied him the title yet knew he would lead them to the heart of the trouble.

“All I have are images.” He made himself focus on the countryside and not the

headlights behind him. “The werewolves are going to raid a rural house. A leopard will

attack a werewolf in his flesh.”

“You saw that?” She looked stunned. Not that she wouldn’t. Leopards didn’t attack

unless their aggressor was in the same physical shape they were.

“Yup.” He looked forward to knowing the lowlife who would do such a thing. Such a

being was a waste of flesh. Be them leopard or not, he had half a mind to take them out

himself for breaking the most fundamental of laws all leopards lived by.

“Whatever happened, or is going to happen, I’m sure you’ll fix it.” She didn’t look at

him as she spoke. “There’s a place for you here, Kane.”

“And you.”

“No.” She twisted her fingers in her lap. Her soft blonde strands fell over her face when

she focused on her hands. “I need to return to the mountains, Kane. There’s nothing for

me here.”

He glanced at her when an overwhelming smell of sadness clogged the inside of the car.

Jin laughed, although there wasn’t any humor in her tone. “I’m rusty at keeping my

feelings under wrap. Apparently I relied too many years on dead flesh to cover my

emotions.”

“Why would you leave me if you don’t want to?” he demanded, irritated that he needed

to watch the land around them and at the same time wouldn’t take lightly the

conversation Jin instigated.

“My work in restoring my honor isn’t completely done.”

“Let’s take a walk.” Kane’s sudden harshness in his tone didn’t sound good.

But getting out of the close confines of the car did. “Okay.”

It was impossible not to notice Kane’s muscular body when he got out of the car. He