I Kissed a Dog

chapter 36

“You?” was all I managed, bewildered by the startling turn of events. I wished I could say it all made sense now, but, in truth, I was even more baffled.

The thing I knew for certain: Jazmine and the redheaded-woman were one in the same. Not two separate entities. One. One evil bitch bent on my destruction, and only God knew what else.

Her escorts, now back on their feet, had moved to either side of Jazmine. The two of them, together, could defeat her in combat. So why were they submitting to such castrating treatment? They were at least double her size, but cowered when she blinked. She wielded a powerful hold over them. I needed to find out what fueled her unchallenged authority.

“Finish packing,” she ordered, her eyes shooting daggers my direction. “We have someone to meet.” She continued to stand — bare ass naked — like it was the most natural thing in the world to carry on a conversation in-the-buff.

The men didn’t seem to mind, although they made a point of keeping their eyes diverted, glancing rarely at their mistress. She appeared not to notice, though I expected she enjoyed tempting them. Look, but don’t let me catch you looking. Touch, and I’ll kill you — double messages to die for.

I couldn’t help thinking that with a body like hers, I just might consider parading around naked too; although chitchatting with an enemy while undressed, not my style, no matter how luscious my curves.

Jazmine snapped her fingers and the tallest guard pulled a bag from under the desk. She snatched up her wig from the floor by the bed where it had fallen. It needed some serious grooming.

The detestable mutant duo must have anticipated her need for new clothing and packed accordingly. From what I’d observed, werewolves had serious anger issues. They were impulsive too. No wonder she had to carry double the outfits wherever she went. Every temper tantrum would require fresh, non-tattered attire.

I couldn’t think about Jazmine’s anger issues without my thoughts returning to Zane. I hoped again that he wouldn’t let his anger shut me out. I needed him now more than ever, especially since I was uncertain that anyone but Zane, or maybe Logan, could deal with Jazmine. She was a real live menace, naked or not.

As she dressed, I finished packing and was able to stuff my cell phone inside my bra without drawing attention, thanks to a little trick I’d used in high school to avoid my stepdad’s detection. Bob had been prone to purse checks, for my own good, of course. He didn’t think cell phones were appropriate until adulthood. One evening, he’d caught on to my charade when my shirt started rumbling.

This time, if I remembered right, I’d left my current phone on the silent mode following the jaunt to Joshua Smart’s mental hospital. And to my benefit, my captors were not nearly as attentive as I’d anticipated. I’d already confiscated two items of importance. I wasn’t sure how or when I’d use them, but if windows kept opening, I’d keep crawling through.

“Give your bag to the guys.” Jasmine ordered, again looking her impeccable self.

With the wig in place, she gathered the shredded pieces of her former outfit and stuffed them in her expensive tote. She checked the bathroom, looked under the bed, in the trash baskets, and closets. “Nothing left. Let’s go.” She dismissed me with rude hand gesture.

The tallest mutant picked up her carrier and collected my bag too, leaving the number two flunky to open the door.

Jazmine stepped through, hesitated, then whirled back to face me. “Here are the rules. You will act like a normal human heading out for some morning sightseeing. Bradley will make sure your car is returned to the appropriate rental retailer and we’ll ride in the limo.”

“One little warning,” she lowered her voice. “Don’t try anything out of the ordinary that might draw attention to us. I’d prefer not to kill you, but don’t doubt that I will. I want you away from my future mate, understand? But from what I’ve heard, you might be useful to have around.”

I nodded, hoping I looked agreeable.

It was a good thing she couldn’t hear my thoughts. Because there was no way I’d step aside for her to claim my husband, regardless of our current unspeaking and un-mind-reading status. I loved him. I’d determined that much.

She also knew something about my abilities. I wasn’t sure how, or from whom she’d gathered her information, or how she’d even located me. I hoped that her earlier mental blunder was evidence that she still lacked a full understanding of my capabilities. As long as she didn’t know I could read her thoughts, there remained another possible window for me to escape through. I’d take all the windows of opportunity I could get.

We made it to the limo without incident. Bradley sped away in the car I’d been so eager to drive to my parents. Relaxed against the plush leather seat, Jasmine kicked off her shoes and leaned forward. “I’m sure you understand that Zane is mine regardless of your one-night-stand-wedding. We’ve been pledged to each other since we were pups. It’s critical we’re mated. He is the rightful alpha, you know?” She said pausing to peer at her fingernails.

Hoping to hide my surprise, I nodded again. Hadn’t I privately questioned Zane’s beta position?

I quickly assessed that Jazmine didn’t expect me to answer, nor did she give a damn about anything I might say. I was safe for the moment so I allowed myself the luxury of pondering Zane’s heritage.

His birthright should have secured him the alpha’s lead role in the Pacific Pack. Not that Logan was unqualified. In fact, he was quite the opposite. But there was a certain something about Zane that gave him an edge over the current alpha. Maybe it was his bloodline. Or maybe there was more to the picture than I was letting myself see.

As we sped across the Markham Bridge, following the signs north to Seattle, Jazmine decided, much to my displeasure, to continue our conversation.

“Zane always was concerned about our mutant cousins roaming in human territory without more accountability from the purebreds.

At one point, when his father was preparing to pass him the torch, so to speak, Zane refused to accept. He wanted reconciliation between us and the mutants. The Indians were having no part of it. Most of us were skeptical too. How could we integrate with a subspecies?”

Now I was even more baffled. “I don’t understand. You created the mutants, and as you said, they’re like relatives. Why all the animosity? Couldn’t you have just taught them better table manners?”

She exploded into giggles. So loud, the driver heard through the glass partition and scowled in his rearview mirror. His response led me to believe he was an unsuspecting human, but I couldn’t be certain. Jazmine’s guard, on the other hand, remained stone-faced by her side.

Staring at the mutant’s blank features, I realized that although I’d just discovered the supernatural world, I’d already formed some clear-cut opinions. First of all, after meeting Stryder, I’d accepted that not all mutants were bad. They weren’t so different from their purebred counterparts.

The most important discovery: I couldn’t tell the good guys from the bad ones based on species alone. Just as humans were prone to prejudice and intolerance, so were the supes.

I wasn’t sure why I was so shocked by this latest revelation, but I was. Knowing I could categorize the creatures I met based on their species had made certain groups seem less threatening. Now, all the so-called distinguishing characteristics were blurred. Everything was grey. Bad guys, good guys … it all depended on whose side you were on any given day. Making that vital distinction would take far more effort on my part.

As a child, I’d asked my mom why everyone couldn’t just get along regardless of any differences. By the time I hit seventh grade, I’d found my answer. People could be mean. They could be downright nasty and cruel.

Religion, race, political views, how much money you had in the bank, where you worked, lived, whatever, all had the potential to serve as dividing lines. Add a whole world of supernatural beings to the mix, and things got even more divisive. Who or what was on my side?

“Deep thoughts, dear,” Jazmine crooned. “Care to share? I’m not as bad as you might think. ”

I almost laughed. Her attempts at sounding motherly and reassuring fell way short given all I knew. Mothering murderers didn’t fit with my idea of a good guy, or girl, period. Nothing Jazmine did or said would convince me otherwise, but I couldn’t help my curiosity. Maybe she’d reveal something important if she kept talking.

I smiled and made a beeline into her thoughts, where I expected to find some diabolical plan forming.

What does Zane see in this creature? She’s dimwitted. Kind of cute, but too much butt.

Too much butt? I was sitting across from a psychotic werewolf woman and she was thinking about my fanny. As for the dimwitted comment …

“So you can talk to farm animals?” she asked out of nowhere.

I stayed silent, unsure what I wanted to tell her about my talents.

“Not answering isn’t an option. You’re my prisoner. Don’t let the surroundings fool you.”

Noting the flash of scarlet in her eyes, I decided to keep it simple. “I don’t talk, not really. I listen or see pictures and sounds.” Had she asked the same question a week ago, my answer would have been the truth. Now I could do a whole bunch of other nifty stuff that I would die before revealing.

Unfortunate for me, knowing her violent tendencies, death was a likely reality. But I planned to prolong my survival for as long as possible.

“All animals?”

Taking a more playful tone, I joked, “Farm animals, domestic animals, and wild animals.”

“I hate to say it, but I’m impressed.”

Following her impromptu compliment, the remaining drive passed in silence. Jazmine spent her time flipping through bridal magazines and daydreaming about her wedding dress and what she mentally referred to as mating with Zane. She seemed to regard my marriage to Zane as an incidental incident, easily rectified.

Sickened by the graphic images of her imagined honeymoon activities, I sent my mental tentacles out, away from Jazmine, seeking my husband. I’d never been successful making contact with someone hundreds of miles away, but I had to try.

I was frustrated to find that even with all the recent advances in my abilities, I still couldn’t communicate at this distance. We were almost to Seattle. Zane was a good eight hours southwest. I guessed he was out of range. Though I couldn’t be certain he’d open his mind to me even if I could reach him.

After attempting to reach Michael, Mack, and then Stryder, I gave up on my search and gave in to the fear nipping at my thoughts, tormenting me with the endless possibilities of brutality that might lie ahead. My exhaustion finally overrode my fear, and I dozed off, just to be awakened a short time later when the limo skidded to a stop, jolting me sideways.

With my eyes still closed, I determined that I’d been blindfolded during my nap. Automatically, I reached for the offensive fabric blocking my vision.

“No. No. Hands off. Just be thankful you were sleeping. We waited until the last possible moment before putting it on,” Jazmine said.

With my head still fuzzy from sleep, I snipped before thinking about the potential consequences. “Aren’t you the nice and polite kidnapper? I’ll make sure to keep notes on how to treat my future enemies.” I didn’t need my eyes open to sneer.

Unable to see her reaction, I pushed into her mind.

What an ungrateful bitch. She should be thankful. Maybe I’ll torture her later, but I’ve got to lure Zane here. We’ll watch her die together, as mates.

Tempted to respond to her thoughts, I bit my tongue.

“Get her into the dorm and put her in the lower hall. Maybe then she’ll understand the importance of pleasing me.”

Once again, my mouth had earned me the wrath of another person … a werewolf. Why couldn’t I swallow my sarcasm? Now I was headed to some horrible place created for the worst of their prisoners. I didn’t do well camping, and I was doubtful I’d survive in some dirty, dank hole.

Deciding it was best not to stir up any additional trouble, I allowed myself to be steered from the limo. I launched more mental probes and discovered I was surrounded by were creatures, primarily mutants from what I could tell.

Without the use of my eyes, I confirmed what I’d noticed before, werewolves and mutants smelled different. Over all, the mutants didn’t smell badly, just odd. I still couldn’t understand why Jazmine, a purebred werewolf, was hanging out with the mutants she hated.

The more I found out the less I knew. Not a great formula for solving a mystery or saving my life. At least if her last thoughts were accurate, I had some time before she reduced me to a bloody pulp.

She intended to use me as bait — for Zane.

The problem with her plan was the simple fact that Zane was furious with me. Furious enough to leave me to Jazmine’s whims?

I’d know soon enough.

***