Page 48 of Cruel Revenge (Jacky Leon #12)

If Jacky doesn’t beat me to it.

Together, he and Landon started to move in the best formation they could with only the two of them. They were in step with each other, years and years of being father and son, Alpha and second, partners as they fought against the world.

If Richard were there, he would have been in step with them as well. He’d never been the most dominant werewolf, but he had been one of them, an Everson. He’d failed Richard. He wasn’t failing Carey today.

And now she’s a werecat…

She’s going to live forever.

Heath finally let it sink in as he walked with decades of experience with Landon. One day, Carey would be in step with them. She would also be in step with Jacky, living the wild energy that now permeated the building.

He’d wanted her to be human. More so, he really didn’t want her to be a werewolf. But a werecat like Jacky, running with her as one of the most powerful supernaturals in the world, with the ruling family protecting her…

He could see that future.

It felt good.

Heath could think of that good future even while something roared and snarled in the rooms and halls of the building. People screamed in fear, their gurgling death rattles indicating their deaths weren’t pleasant.

Finally, he and Landon saw bodies.

There was no chance of survival. Jacky had made sure what she came in contact with died. Abdomens ripped open, arms ripped off, chunks of brain matter and bone scattered on the walls and floor.

And the blood. There was so much of it.

Landon reached a set of double doors before he could.

While the smell of magic was still thick and strong, the door itself was mundane.

Landon grabbed a handle as Heath got into position.

As Landon swung it open, Heath started to scan, looking for any threats.

He fired the moment he saw a face he didn’t recognize.

He ignored his nose, only using his eyes, needing to see his enemies.

Landon was right behind him, another shot fired and another thud of a body.

They were quick and efficient. Before a single spell was cast, every witch was down.

There had been four of them, and they hadn’t expected two men with modern weapons.

They had been trying to defend themselves against the terrible werecat hunting in the building.

Heath froze on the last face he saw. It had been a long time since he had seen a recent picture. Over the years, and with the loss of a pack, he hadn’t gotten too much new intel on her. Carey inherited bits of her face from this woman.

“Carey!” Landon said in a gasp. His son, right at his side, saw Carey. Heath knew she was there. Could smell her. And if he looked down just a little, he’d see his daughter, but Courtney required his attention. She was holding a gun, and it was pointed at the right angle to hit Carey if she fired.

Courtney is capturable. We can take her, just a human. She’ll tell us her role in this, and we can use her to find out more.

“Courtney,” Heath greeted, his gun still up, aiming for the human woman. He wouldn’t fire. He didn’t want to kill Carey’s biological mother right over her head. “What are you doing here?”

“They wouldn’t let me leave,” Courtney answered. “But you’re going to. If you try to kill me, I’m taking her with me.” Courtney’s hand was shaking, but Heath believed her. She would fire the moment she thought Heath or Landon was going to pull the trigger.

“You’d kill your own daughter?” Heath asked. Landon tried to creep forward, taking tiny, slow steps, but Courtney shoved the gun closer to Carey. Heath finally glanced at his daughter’s face.

Big, yellow-green cat eyes stared back at him.

Full of fear. He finally listened to his nose.

She was certainly a werecat, and she was terrified.

And angry. His daughter was fucking mad as hell.

He could smell his werewolves, too. The boys were silent and scared.

Every one of them, Carey included, had been taught to remain silent so the older adults could focus in these moments, and that training was holding strong.

No distractions because if the older adults trying to help them were distracted, they could get hurt. Then no one got any help.

“I’m tired of everything you all do ruining my fucking life!” Courtney screeched.

Landon’s fear spiked. Heath took a second to try to figure out why, then he saw her.

The door cracked open silently behind Courtney, a second entrance into the room. Gold eyes, pupils dilated for a moment, then went to slivers at the light in the warehouse area.

“Well, don’t shoot her. You won’t have a life if you do that,” Heath said calmly, trying to look at Courtney and not the silent monster creeping into the room.

She’s still… mostly human… I think.

Jacky was a sight to see. She wasn’t in the Last Change. She wasn’t a werecat. She wasn’t human.

Fur was beginning to cover her skin, but the blood made it hard to see where fur began and ended.

Her face was frozen in a strange transitional point, her jaw different than it should have been.

Her fangs were coming out of her mouth, nearly reaching her jawline.

No one would believe she wasn’t completely lost, but Heath knew this wasn’t the Last Change.

This was just Jacky, pushing her body and control to the absolute limit.

Something still rational was happening in her mind. Something.

“Fine.” Heath slowly lowered his gun. He nodded at Landon to do the same thing.

Gold eyes met his for a second. He quickly flicked his gaze back to Courtney, trying to be normal.

“Go on, Courtney. Just leave. The werewolves will never come for you. I won’t let them, and there’s not a werewolf on the planet who can override my orders anymore.”

Courtney started to step backward, her gun still pointed at Carey, but the distance was growing. That was good, because if she accidentally fired, it had more of a chance to miss Carey.

Heath saw Jacky move, preparing for her attack.

“Carey, look at me. Only look at me,” he said softly, looking down at his daughter. She gave the tiniest of nods.

Courtney began to turn around, about to run from the room.

Her scream was a short one. Blood curdling, terrified, and ear piercing, but short.

Jacky was on her in seconds, a chest rumbling snarl ripping from her as she landed on Courtney.

It was brutal and efficient. Heath knew it was also painful. Courtney didn’t die until after her arm was ripped off, the gun and arm being sent across the room.

Once the violence stopped, Heath took a step closer toward Carey’s cage. Jacky looked up and snarled, taking her own step forward, leaving Courtney’s body behind her.