we’re too far from civilization to have just run for it,” Heath added.
“Yes, you are.” He frowned. “I really want to be angry with you, little sister.”
“You aren’t?” I raised my eyebrows.
“No. I should call you careless and stupid, but I’ve had my own troubles this trip. They destroyed my satellite phone on my second night out there. They cut off my contact with the outside world, and since then, it’s been a back-and-forth hunt. They want me because I’m a danger to them. I want them for vengeance. I don’t even know how many days I’ve been out here doing this, but it could take weeks before they start to weaken and need to feed again. Maybe months, depending on their age.”
“So, why don’t we all leave?” I asked softly. “Let them have the mountain?”
“For one, that’s cowardly,” he answered, grunting in disapproval. “But that’s not what I think you’re going for. If another werecat had shoved Gaia or Titan out of their territories, they would be expected to walk away. They lost, and it’s only right they move on and let the new werecat settle in. With this, it’s about more than just land. These vampires are an immediate danger to anyone who comes into this area. They aren’t controlled by their Maker unless one of them is the Maker. You think if we leave, they’ll live peacefully out here and cause no harm? They’ll prey on humans until it becomes apparent there’s a problem.”
“Then everyone will wonder why they weren’t killed earlier if we knew about them,” Heath finished. “We could let the Seattle nest know.”
“No,” Jabari rejected that immediately. “I won’t trust the nest. They could have tossed out their troublemakers irresponsibly and might not want the blame to fall on them. I’ll see them when all is said and done.”
“Have you ever been in a vampire nest?” I asked, eyes going wide. “Jabari?”
“Of course. I hate it, and I wish I could burn them in their home, but I’ll go if it’s completely necessary. The last time was…collecting important vampires and inviting them to meet with Father to form the Tribunal and bring peace.”
“That was eight hundred years ago,” I reminded him. He only shrugged. “So, can I stay without being told I’m baggage you have to protect? Because I’m going to stay.”
“You will follow my orders. Both of you.” He glared over at Heath. “Do you understand that, Alpha wolf?”
“I do.”
“Then let’s start planning our next move. With three of us, we might be able to end this sooner rather than later.”
For the rest of the night, I learned why the world called Jabari the General.
20
Chapter Twenty
We headed out at dawn. Jabari Changed back into his werecat form while Heath and I stayed human, wearing our clothing. The plan? Well, to start, we were going to find Jabari’s clothes. He’d stashed them and wanted them back, along with the rest of his things. The only problem was it left us only being able to ask him yes or no questions while we hiked.
Heath and I remained silent for most of the morning. I checked my phone, which had been safe through the night, to find that it was nearly noon when Jabari stopped at a cliffside and looked back at us.
“Is this the short uphill part you talked about?” I looked up the cliff, frowning. This wasn’t uphill. This was fucking mountain climbing.
He nodded and continued walking, and I sighed at Heath as we followed. He shrugged like it didn’t bother him. He’d been eerily silent all night after the initial conversation, not arguing with Jabari or questioning anything. He just fell in line, and that bothered me. Heath was an Alpha, and he was being…submissive.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly. Jabari could hear, but I didn’t care. Heath’s attitude worried me. “You’ve been very quiet.”
“I don’t like him,” he said with a bite. “But I’m trying not to let that get in the way of surviving.”
“Oh, I don’t like him all that much either,” I said. “Jabari is rough and always right. He’s not an easy man to know.”
“I’m beginning to really understand why you avoid your werecat family. I wouldn’t want to be his younger sibling, either.” Heath curled a lip at Jabari’s back. “He completely disrespected you the first time he opened his mouth, then expected you to fall in line and do what he ordered.”
I honestly expected Jabari to growl at the comment. I saw him hesitate with his next