Chapter 2

The sound of heavy breathing echoed in the large room.  Everywhere she looked were a series of mirrors, reflecting back at them, allowing her to see every angle of the man standing across from her.  She bounced on her feet, testing the padded floors beneath her, knowing that she'd have to give an extra burst of energy as she launched herself at him.  He grinned at her and just like that, she was in the air. 

He had expected the move, and as arrogant as he always was, he simply took a step to the side.  She spun her body mid jump and felt a resonating pain pulse up her leg when he blocked her move with his hands.  Using her momentum, he twirled with her, sending her into one of the many mirrors on the wall.  As she crashed into it, she thanked her lucky stars for the plastic shielding over the glass.  With her life as it was, she couldn't handle another seven years of bad luck.

"Ass," she hissed as she jumped to her feet before he could stomp on her.  Rolling her shoulders, she sent a glare towards him.

He simply smiled at her, showing a very nice set of sharp teeth.  "You hunted me down," he reminded as he began to circle her.  Before he could get behind her, she pressed her back to the wall.  Again, amusement flashed in his eyes.  "You're the only one who could find me."

"I don't even know what you are," she whispered, keeping her eyes on him.  She knew by fact that he could move so quickly that even she could barely see.  "And I didn't hunt you; I tripped over you during a run."

"Not many of us in America," he said with a shrug.  "It's too difficult to hide here."  He smiled again, this time, showing off completely white, completely straight, and completely normal teeth.  "And you don't taste as good."  When she grimaced, he chuckled.  "And you were hunting for me, whether you'll admit to it or not."

When her eyes narrowed on him, he simply shrugged.  "You don't know anything."

"Sara," he started while sending her a charming smile. When she hissed at him, he held his hands up in surrender before easing himself down on the padded floor.  Crossing his legs, he looked up at her innocently, but she wasn't fooled.  Still, she took his show of submission for what it was, a break from their sparring.  "When are you going to realize that you can't beat me?"

If he hadn't already ended their sparring, she would have sent a kick towards his head for the comment.  As it was, she eased down in front of him, but didn't keep the glare from her face.  "I can't accept that," she whispered, knowing without a doubt that he would hear her.  "But you can go whenever you want."

His face brightened at her words, but just as soon as that happiness flashed in his eyes, it diminished.  "You could have killed me when I slept.  The day you happened upon my body, you could have ripped my head off.  I owe you a debt of gratitude, whether either of us wants it.  And I need more from you before I leave."  He tilted his head to the side, listening for something that she couldn't quite hear yet.  "You have company," he whispered with a wink before he disappeared with a small popping noise.

A loud knock echoed on the training room's door, but as she took a deep breath to see who was on the other side, she frowned when she smelled nothing but her own sweat.  The person on the other side of the door had no scent.  Not even her sparring partner had left a scent behind.  She glared at the door once more, and before she had time to jump to her feet, it swung open.

Walking in without permission, the newcomer paused for a minute, sensing that something was here only moments ago, but not being able to tell what it was.  "What was that?"

"Hello to you too, Zeke," she mumbled as she rose to her feet slowly.  She stared at the man, watching as his eyes glowed slightly, but when he tried to knock down the walls protecting her thoughts, he couldn't.  "Stay out of my head," she growled before throwing a little bit of power towards him.  He winced as she did, and just as quickly as he entered her mind, he left.

"And what in the hell was that?" he asked as he rubbed his temples.  "You've never been able to do that before."

"I've been practicing," she said with a shrug before sending him a slightly evil smile.  "Did you come here so I could train your mate?"

He stared at her for a moment before shaking his head with a laugh.  "Until she has the baby, we're keeping her as far away from all the fighting as we can."

"She's with her mom," Sara guessed with a nod.  "I have some of my people there, keeping the peace after the two of you left last time.  She'll be safe."

His eyes strayed around the room as she spoke, and she knew he was looking for something lurking in the shadows, for some type of magic.  He wouldn't find anything.  Her sparring partner, her trainer for the past couple of weeks, never left anything behind.  "I know," he said absentmindedly as he continued to look through the room.  "That's not why I'm here."

Without another word, he pushed at her mind again, this time, catching her off guard.  He breached her first wall, and before she could slam it shut once more, he sent images through her mind.  With her mind attempting to process the images, Zeke tore down the second wall keeping her thoughts private, but before he could reach the third, the air popped.

He turned towards the noise, giving her just enough time to throw her walls back up, but when Zeke looked around the room, there was nothing there.  He growled low in his throat.  His eyes flashed brightly.  "What are you hiding, Sara?"

"It's none of your business," she said calmly.

"I'm Ally's enforcer for the moment," he reminded.  "If you're doing anything that—"

"I'm not," she interrupted before he could say another word.  "What I'm doing here affects no one but me.  Not even my family knows."  She paused for a moment, letting him soak in her words.  "Now, why are you here?"

"We need you to find someone."

"Like last time?" she asked while raising one of her eyebrows.  "Ally had me hunting for a leopard that she could already find on her own.  Why, I still have no clue, but I won't go on a wild goose chase again."

Zeke took a deep breath before letting it out in what sounded like frustration.  "Fine.  She wants you to find something, but what I want from you is completely different."  She waited for him to continue, knowing that even if she tried to walk out of the door now, he'd hold her back.  "You haven't been to the cabin in a while," he started, "but there is something taunting them.  I'm not sure what it is, my mom knows but can't say too much, and I can't risk going back."

"Not with Charlie," Sara said in understanding.  "And I'm guessing she won't let you go on your own."  He shook his head.  "What about all of her guards?"  One particular one flashed in her mind, and by the small smile on Zeke's face, he had seen the image.

"It's more powerful than them all.  Ned focuses on training the others.  Jones is busy with his mate.  The twins are on baby duty anytime the shit hits the fan.  Adam hasn't left his house in almost a week, and Barron," he paused and laughed when Sara glared.  "Barron is too close to this."

The words hit her in the stomach, and if she was a little weaker, they would have sent her to the floor.  "It's magic, isn't it?" she whispered.  "After North Carolina..."

"I know you don't trust him," Zeke said in understanding, "but he's changed, as much as someone can when they go through something like that."

"It was by his choice."

Zeke nodded.  "His choice, yes, but without him, we'd be dead."

"How many people know?" she asked quietly as if someone else would be able to hear her words.  "How many know about who he was?"

"The people who were there that day, and I'm guessing Ally and Sebastian know."

She heard his words, nodded along with him, but still, she didn't know if she could go back, didn't know if she could work with him again.  That was long ago; she knew that.  She had changed in those years, going from someone who thought they could fight the world and win to the person she was now.  She had been too arrogant then, had thought that she could do anything, but the past had erased that thought from her mind quick.  Now, she trained as much as she could, she built herself up until she knew that she would be able to protect herself. 

Still, she shuddered when she thought of that day so long ago, the flames that had surrounded them, the screams in the air.  She shook her head.  "I don't know if I can do it."

"You saw him when you went to the cabin," he reminded gently.

A low hiss escaped her mouth before she could stop it.  "I saw him for a whole lot of two seconds before he disappeared.  Ally sent me away after that."

"You mean she told you that you could leave if you wanted and you ran back here."

Her hands settled on her hips as she glared at the man.  "I don't run."

"I've known you for a long time, Sara, and you ran like the hounds of hell were nipping at your heels.  You were scared, and you ran."  He shrugged.  "I don't blame you for wanting to return to your home, where your family is around you, where you don't have to worry about getting hurt, but that was before."

"Before you needed something from me?"

He nodded, not looking the least bit contrite at admitting it.  "Yeah.  You may think I'm just using you, and maybe I am, but we need you now.  You're the best tracker I've ever met, and the thing that is coming after Ally isn't a leopard shifter, she's already tried looking for it.  You'll know when it's coming, and better, you'll be able to fight it once it shows up."  He paused for a moment, tilting his head to the side.  "And bring whatever was in here before I came.  I have a feeling that it can help."

"I couldn't leave him behind if I wanted," she whispered, making Zeke smile.

"So, you'll come."

She groaned aloud when she realized that she had committed herself to this.  "I'll come, but I swear to you if this is another one of Ally's schemes to get me and one of her guards together, I'll flay you alive."

"Better sharpen your knives," he whispered with a large smile before he disappeared much as her sparring partner had done before.

Flopping down on the mats beneath her, she let out a loud groan of frustration.  She didn't want to return.  She didn't want to visit Ally and her misfit team of shifters.  What she wanted was to continue her training.  What she wanted was to pretend that nothing went on in the outside world except for her duties.  But, she knew that if she didn't go now, it would only get worse.  Because if Zeke was asking for her help, if he was asking her to work with Barron, she knew it was worse than he was letting on.

"You're going?"

She jumped when the voice whispered in her ear and turned to glare at the man beside her.  "I don't have a choice."

"You could run," he offered with a shrug of indifference, but she could see something in his eyes that said he'd be disappointed if she did.

"I don't run," she growled beneath her breath, making him smile at her.

"I'll come with you."

Another groan left her mouth as she fell back onto the floor.  "I won't be able to hide you."

"You won't have to hide me."

She closed her eyes, proving to herself that she trusted the creature beside her more than she should.  "They'll know what you are.  Even if I can't figure it out, their leader will."

"This leader, is he powerful?"

"She," Sara said in amusement.  "She is powerful, yes."

Opening one eye, she stared at his perfectly sculpted face as shock rounded his eyes.  He turned towards her, looking more intrigued than he was before.  "Is she a cat like you?"

"Leopard," Sara corrected even as she nodded.  "Her coloring is different."

He jumped to his feet, looking both worried an excited about the concept.  His hands went to the bottom of his shirt, and as he began to lift it from his body, Sara's eyes widened.  "What are you doing?"

Amusement crinkled the corners of his eyes as he lifted his shirt further, showing off more of his skin than she had ever seen from him.  Even as her eyes wanted to trace the outline of his body, they were instantly drawn to the tattoo that curled up his chest, around his shoulder, down his side, only to stop at the very top of his pants.  She narrowed her eyes, sure that the tattoo went further down, but when he didn't offer to show her, she didn't ask.  "Holey shit."

"This is her coloring?"

Sara stared at the black leopard tattooed on the man's body and felt her breath whoosh out of her mouth.  "That's it."  Something clicked in her mind, making her eyes narrow on him.  "How much of me finding you really was an accident?"

He dropped his shirt and ignored her question.  "Her name, what is her name?"

"Alexandria Holt.  Was me finding you an accident?"

"Holt," he whispered as he plopped down onto the floor beside her.  His hand rubbed against his chest, where his heart should be.  "They are alive?"  With Sara's nod, he jumped to his feet once more.  "We will leave immediately."  He paused for a moment, sending her a sheepish grin.  "Would you mind if I went ahead of you?  Flying does not appeal to my nature."

"And getting ripped apart by a group of shifters who don't know you does appeal to your nature?" she asked in frustration.  "If you pop into their cabin, disrupt Barron's wards, and go anywhere near their Queen, they'll rip you apart."

He stood a little taller.  "She will not let them harm me."

"And why is that?"

A smile flew onto his mouth as his body began to disappear.  "Because we are connected."

He disappeared, leaving her there with her mouth open and confusion eating at her.  Whatever in the hell that man was, she sent out a small prayer that he really would be okay once Barron got his hands on him, because if she had to put her money on one or the other, she would bet on Barron.  She shook her head, pushing the thought to the back of her mind.  There was a time when she thought the world of that man, when she had thought no one could surpass him, but then she had gotten to know him.  She had realized what lied beneath the outside layers, and she hadn't been able to handle what she saw.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes once more and let the worry flow from her body.  She couldn't let her emotions get in the way of what was to come.  If Zeke was asking for her help, if Barron couldn't fight this thing on his own, it was worse than she could ever imagine.  Something like that wouldn't stop at just destroying Ally and her people.  It would continue its destruction, until nothing was left to destroy.

She let the breath leave her mouth quietly as she opened her eyes.  Standing to her feet, she walked towards the intercom near the door.  "I need a jet ready in twenty minutes," she said as she pressed the button, "and enough weapons packed to kill an army."

Letting go of the button, she shook her head, wondering if all the weapons in the world would be able to help her now.