Jacob's Ladder (String of Fate) (6 page)

Jake met Edvard’s gaze over Ria’s head, nodding once more. “We’ll go slow. A nice, leisurely morning exercise swim,” Jake said, knowing by the challenging light in Ria’s eyes that she wasn’t going to do any such thing.

She turned and splashed away. The race was on.

Ria loved the cool water and the vastness of the ocean. It was refreshing after being cooped up inside for the past day. She was used to moving and stretching her legs. Activity was second nature to a shifter and she had been idle too long.

She didn’t usually get much chance to swim—especially not in the ocean—so she enjoyed setting as fast a pace as she could manage around the big yacht. She had expected Edvard to keep pace with her easily, but Jake surprised her not only with his stamina, but his speed. He was a better swimmer than she was, hands down. Her human mate was full of surprises.

When they lapped the boat and came back to the low platform where she had entered the water, she made for the ladder, winded. Jake wasn’t even breathing hard. And of course, Edvard waited only until she climbed out to do a spectacular backwards leap away, diving under the water and staying down so long, she lost track of him as she collected a robe and toweled her hair.

“I wonder if they have a dryer on this tub?” Jake asked, struggling out of his wet jeans at her side. He had put on the big robe that had been waiting for him. There were several of the big, fluffy garments hanging ready for people to hop out of the ocean.

“I suspect there’s every comfort of home on this vessel,” she replied, bending to help him by grabbing the end of one leg of his jeans as he hopped, struggling with the wet fabric.

As they moved to one side of the wide platform, a seal bounded out of the ocean next to them, transforming as it went, into a man. A sleekly muscled, very good looking man. And he was naked…and very well endowed. Ria couldn’t help but notice before the man reached for a robe and hid his…uh…assets…from view.

“Son of a gun,” Jake swore, but there was a broad smile on his face. “I should’ve known.” He stepped forward to meet the man, his hand outstretched. “Tom Kinkaid as I live and breathe.”

The two men shook hands and included a back slapping bro-hug in their repertoire of greeting. It was the friendliest greeting Ria had seen Jake give anyone so far. This guy had to be a good friend—or at least, one Jake hadn’t seen in a long time.

“I thought that was you doing the swan dive off the bridge deck. Trying to impress Uncle Ed?” Tom asked, grinning from ear to ear.

If anything, the smile made the man even more handsome as a dimple appeared on one cheek. It was a good thing Ria had found her mate, or she’d have been in mortal danger of falling in serious
like
with the handsome selkie.

“Not sure anything impresses the old man,” Jake answered with a rueful expression. “But I figured it couldn’t hurt to try. I’m feeling at a decided disadvantage around all your people. Hell, Tom. I had no idea you were one of
those
Kinkaids.”

“And I had no idea you knew about us. Damn, Jake. Too many secrets.” Tom shook his head as Jake stepped back to include Ria into their small circle.

“You can say that again. Ria, honey,” Jake said, putting a possessive arm around her waist as he drew her into the conversation. “This is Tom Kinkaid, the dive master who taught me everything I know about diving, both with gear and off the high diving board.”

“Ma’am,” Tom nodded to Ria respectfully, his gaze taking in the way she fit against Jake. Yeah, she saw the moment he figured out they were together. “I never realized the major here was mated into a Clan.”

“He wasn’t,” Ria replied honestly. “Not until just recently, though his sister mated my cousin a few months back. He’s known about us for a while.” She reached out to shake the man’s hand. “Why do you call him Major?” She realized that was the second time she’d heard Jake referred to by that term. Was it a rank? Had he been a soldier? It made sense. He certainly had all kinds of military skills and training.

Tom seemed confused for a moment as he looked from Jake to Ria and back again. “Uh…”

“I was a major in the Marines. Force Recon. Special Operations. I did a little training with the SEALs—though I didn’t realize at the time that you guys really were seals.”

Tom shrugged. “We like the irony.”

Ria laughed. “Our mating is very new,” she explained, knowing the selkie was still confused about why she hadn’t known about Jake’s background.

“Congratulations are in order, then,” Tom smiled. “Will I see you both at breakfast? I’d love a chance to catch up a bit, now that Jake knows what we are.”

“Edvard invited us to breakfast after our swim but he’s still in the water,” Ria looked back over the dark ocean, the dawn just barely beginning to kiss the sky to the east.

“He’s giving you time to shower and change. Go up to your rooms, get the salt off your skin and I’ll see you in the breakfast room. I can send someone to show you the way if you don’t know the lay of the ship yet,” Tom offered.

Ria looked to Jake, but he shrugged. “I guess we could use that guide. I haven’t seen the breakfast room yet.”

“All right. How about a half hour? Is that enough time? I’ll send my sister to get you. She’s got too much spare time on her hands as it is,” Tom joked.

“Sounds like a plan,” Ria answered. “Now which way was our cabin?”

Tom took pity and showed them the way to the guest cabins, chatting a bit with Jake as they went along. He showed them parts of the ship they hadn’t yet seen and talked about how the salt water didn’t bother selkie skin the way it did other shifters and humans.

It seemed as though he was enjoying the ability to speak freely about what he was with Jake for the first time. It was clear the two men respected each other and had a deep-seated friendship.

They were almost to the cabin when Jake stopped short. Ria looked at him, touching his arm as she looked into his eyes. Power swirled there, making her gasp. His eyes were fixed straight ahead as he stood stock still in the middle of the companionway.

Tom looked back, halting as his affable smile disappeared by slow degrees. “What’s wrong with him?”

“I’m not sure, but I think he’s having a vision.”

“Sweet Mother of All,” the selkie swore. “A vision? He’s a seer? A mage?”

“A seer, yes. Not a mage. Not exactly,” she answered absently, worried about Jake as he just stood there. “Or so he says.”

“I always knew there was powerful magic around him, but I had no idea it was…this.” Tom looked both appalled and kind of reverent. “Let me get Ed. He’ll know what to do.” Tom ran ahead to the junction of the companionway where an intercom was tucked discretely into the wall. Ria heard him connect with the bridge quietly while she held Jake’s hand and watched him, worrying.

Edvard came up behind them a moment later, but Jake hadn’t moved. He took in the situation quickly and began barking questions.

“How long has he been like this?” Ed bit out, taking Jake’s other hand and feeling for his pulse.

Tom looked at his watch. “About a minute and a half.”

“Damn,” Edvard cursed. “A powerful one, then. But he’s got a lot of personal energy. His pulse is erratic but strong.”

“What can we do to help him?” Ria asked in a small voice, not willing to disturb her mate. She didn’t know what loud noises would do to his state.

“You’re doing it,” Edvard replied in a similarly gentle tone. “Protect his body while his mind is in the otherworlds. Be there for him when he comes out of it. Hold his hand. Be ready in case he needs you,” Edvard ticked off his list as he let go of Jake’s wrist and placed his arm down gently at his side. “Just do what you’re doing. It is all we, who do not share his burden, can do. He’ll come out of it on his own, once the vision has had its way with him.”

“Are you sure?” Ria asked, still scared for her new mate. The cat inside her was clawing to get out, wanting to protect its mate from whatever threatened him.

“I’ve seen this before, with my sister. So far, she has always come out of this state on her own, but there are dangers.” Edvard was as brutally honest as she expected him to be. She valued that about him.

“What dangers?” she demanded quietly.

“There are tales of seers falling into fugue states from which they never awaken,” he said quietly, his voice kept low, but strong. “But Jake is made of stronger stuff than that. I have no doubt he knows how to handle these things. From what I have learned, he has carried this burden since he was very young, just like my sister. When it comes to them young, the power is greater, but so is the control over their abilities. Or so my sister’s teachers always claimed.”

“I don’t even know if Jake had teachers for his gift or if he learned how to use it all on his own. There aren’t a lot of humans running around with this amount of magic who aren’t full-out mages, and Jake said he didn’t like being around mages. He said they make his skin itch,” she told Edvard, rubbing her thumb over Jake’s knuckles, feeling the warmth of his skin.

“Sneeze too.” Jake’s voice was weak, but there. When she looked quickly up into his eyes, the power had stopped swirling in their depths. He was back. Mostly.

“What?” His words made no sense.

“Mages make me sneeze too,” he clarified, his voice growing stronger as he seemed to regain his grip on the waking world. “Sorry. Was I standing here long?” He shook his head, looking around him as if to assess where he was. He was definitely disoriented. Like he had been earlier that morning, only worse.

“A little over five minutes,” Tom reported, looking at his watch. “You back with us, Major?”

Jake shook his head from side to side, as if to clear it. “Yeah, I’m with you. Damn. That was a long one. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize for your power,” Edvard intoned as Jake bent over and put his hands on his knees. Ria stood protectively at his side, watching him carefully to see if there was anything she could do to help him. Jake looked up at Edvard as his eyes continued to clear.

“We have to get back to land,” Jake said. His tone was urgent. “By tomorrow at the very latest. By tomorrow night the water will not be safe. Not with what they’re calling up from the depths. Gather your people, Ed. No one will be safe in the water after tonight.”

“Can we stop it?” Tom asked, his eyes narrowing in concern.

“No. I’m sorry. This isn’t your battle, but there are those who will make the waters safe again. Not selkies. Something else. Something very magical and…you know them. They’re soldiers, but they’re not like you. Not exactly.” Jake shook his head again. “Sorry, it’s not clear. You might help them when they come, but this battle is theirs. And it won’t be for a while yet. Until then, keep your people safely ashore. You do
not
want any of them to run afoul of this thing, believe me.”

“What is it?” Ria asked the question she was sure they all wanted to ask.

“I don’t know what you call it, but it’s evil. Pure evil. A servant of the Destroyer from ancient times. Elspeth considered it a pet. I saw that much. It was defeated the last time only with the loss of many lives and sent to sleep for centuries. Elspeth’s servants in the
Venifucus
are waking it up even as we speak and this is one seriously bad thing we cannot stop. Anyone who tries will die needlessly. Ed,” Jake looked directly at the ship’s captain, “please confirm that with your sister. She’ll be calling shortly, I think. I wasn’t alone on the psychic plane. Many seers just saw what I did. Or at least, parts of it. Damn.” Jake put his head down again and breathed hard while Ria stroked his back, seeking to comfort him. “That was a doozy.”

Aaron, the toad, had found where the Royal Guard had fallen back to lick their wounds, but they were gone again before Willard could mobilize his strike team to finish them off. Aaron was working on finding them again while Willard answered a call from the Council.

A great magical Work was in progress and ready to be unleashed, but they needed Willard’s particular elemental talents to make it happen. They might ridicule him and his little obsession with the
pantera
Nyx, but they still needed him.

There was a reason Willard had been able to join the Council and maintain that position for many years, despite the constant challenges and derision of the other Council members. Willard was very good with water. It was his element, you might say. He had certain abilities with the water and its creatures that made him valuable to the Council, and they were calling on him now, to aid one of their little plans.

While he thought they were going about bringing Elspeth—the
Mater Priori
—back from the farthest realm all wrong, he didn’t want to share his wisdom or intel about the Nyx with any of those selfish creatures that populated the Council. Willard lived with the comfort that when he made it possible for Elspeth to cross the barrier between the forgotten realms and this mortal one, she would reward him beyond reckoning. And wouldn’t the rest of the Council regret the way they’d treated him
then
?

Chapter Five

Edvard was summoned to the bridge a moment after helping Jake, Ria and Tom in the passageway. His sister had called and wanted to speak to him urgently. Tom saw Ria and Jake to their room and left them, promising to meet them at breakfast as planned, only a little later than originally discussed.

Jake walked into their cabin and made straight for the plush couch, collapsing onto it while he caught his breath. His head was still whirling with everything he’d seen. Some visions were like that—time compressed into blurred images scrolling by in rapid succession.

It was hard to follow, but he’d had a lot of experience in sorting out the images. He began to make sense of what he’d seen as Ria moved around the room. She came to him, holding a glass of ice water in her hands. He might’ve sought something stronger but it was too early to be hitting the hard stuff—no matter how confusing the day had been already.

“Do you always have these visions so close together?” Ria spoke gently as she sat at his side on the couch. She put her arm around his shoulders, her hand pressing into his back, offering the comfort of touch that shifters found so appealing. Come to think of it, Jake found it appealing as well. Especially if it was Ria’s touch.

“No, this was an anomaly. I think a lot of sh—” He stopped himself from cussing, though he’d already said a few things he probably shouldn’t have in front of her. “Stuff,” he corrected himself. “A lot of stuff is going down right now that I might be able to influence. It usually works like that. Most of the time, I see things pertaining to something or someone I know or can find. It seems to be tailored so that I can be useful, I guess. I’ve always found it handy, except when the stuff hits the fan, like it is right now.”

“So the vision in your sleep was so you could help my Guard and your friend. And then this one was so you could warn the sea-based shifters.” She seemed to be dealing with his quirks better than he’d hoped.

“I’m sorry you had to see me like that. I’d meant to give you a heads up before a big one hit, but I didn’t have time. Usually I don’t get like that often. Maybe once a year or so. I was going to warn you so you wouldn’t be concerned when, or if, it happened and you were with me.” Jake had been doing a lot of apologizing this morning and dawn had only just broken through their stateroom window.

Ria moved right into his lap and stroked his chin, which was covered in stubble, he realized belatedly. She didn’t seem to mind, thank goodness. Her touch felt too good to lose.

“It’s okay, Jake. There’s a lot we need to discover about each other. I’m just glad Ed knew what was going on. I think you shocked poor Tom though.” She chuckled and he began to see the humor in her words.

“Yeah, I bet he’s never seen a guy zone out like that before,” he agreed.

“No Jake…” she pulled back to look at him, meeting his gaze. “Your eyes… They swirled with power. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen and it was very clear you have deeply hidden depths of magic. I think Tom was both scared shitless, and impressed.” She moved in to place a peck on his cheek. “By the way, you can say the word shit in front of me. I won’t faint.”

He pulled her closer, resting his forehead against hers. “No, sweetheart. Give me an inch and I’ll take a mile, just like any other guy. You’re a lady. More than that, you’re a queen. At least let me
try
to clean up my language around you. I can’t promise I’ll always remember to censor myself, but it’s a small thing I can do to show you how much I respect you. And if we ever have kids, I don’t want them picking up my bad habits.”

Her breath caught when he mentioned them having children and he could see the longing in her eyes. He hadn’t thought much about spawning before, but having Ria in his life was making him think about a lot of things he never really had before. He wanted it all with her. Kids. House in the ‘burbs. White picket fence. Big backyard so she could run around in her furry form. Trees for the kids to climb. The whole enchilada.

He kissed her because he couldn’t help himself. She was in his arms, warm, inviting and
his
. That was the kicker. She was his. She told him so in many subtle ways that made his heart skip a beat with wonder.

And he was hers. He would prove that to her over and over. As many times as it took for her to believe him. To believe
in
him. He might be human, but he would be the best mate he could to his little kitty.

She broke the kiss and moved back, giving his lips one last little lick with a flick of her tongue. Man, she turned him on. It wouldn’t take much to be inside her. They were both wearing robes and he had nothing under his. But she was wrapped in a rubber band of a lycra bathing suit that wouldn’t come off without a fight. Jake sighed as he set her aside and stood up.

“We both need a shower. Our skin doesn’t thrive on salt water like the selkies.” He took her hand, helping her to stand with exaggerated politeness before ushering her into the attached bath.

What followed was a quick, slippery session in the small shower where they both got rid of the salt on their skin while making each other crazy with wanting. What had started on the couch, moved to the shower and finished on the small vanity as Ria perched on the edge, accepting Jake’s powerful thrusts.

As quickies went, it was spectacular. They were both breathless and feeling a lot mellower when he finally let her go. Jake supported her for a moment more because Ria’s legs seemed kind of wobbly and he had to grin, knowing he’d made her weak in the knees. She had done the same to him, but he was a little better at hiding it.

She scooted back under the water in the shower for a quick rinse before joining him back in the cabin. He was already half-dressed when she came walking in, naked and beautiful. Jake stopped in his tracks, just watching her for a long moment. She noticed his fascination and smiled at him.

“You’re going to have to get used to shifters being naked, Jake. We tend to strip a lot when we want to change shape. Or…” She walked closer, trailing her fingers up his arm while a teasing light filled her gorgeous eyes. “…when we want to play with our mates.”

“I’m all for that,” he answered, pulling her into his arms, his hands at her waist. Then he thought of something that had happened earlier. “But I’ll have to object a bit when it seems you’re enjoying the view a little too much.”

She seemed to think for a moment then laughed. “Oh, you mean Tom? I won’t deny, he’s a good looking guy, but my mate is the only man I’m interested in making love to, now that I’ve found him.” She reached up and tugged his head down for a quick kiss. “I’m never letting you go, Jake. I might appreciate the view from time to time—I’m a shifter, after all, and we’re very sensual creatures, if you didn’t realize that already—but I’ll always belong wholly, completely and forevermore, to you.” She kissed him again.

Before their kisses could escalate into something more, the phone in their cabin rang. Jake let her go and she scampered away to find clothing while he picked up the phone.

“Yeah, we’ll be right out,” he promised a laughing Tom on the other end of the line. Sure enough, the other shifter had figured they’d need a reminder to join the rest of the group for breakfast.

Jake reached for his shirt, watching Ria dress with economical movements. She was probably the only woman he had ever known who could get ready as quickly as he could. That was something he had to admire. She wasn’t rushing, but she moved so gracefully—and quickly—and she looked like a million bucks no matter what. She was just beautiful, in every way.

Her compassion for her people and her kind heart were unexpected, but very welcome. Her unconscious regal bearing was tempered by sparkling humor and a down-to-earth quality that enchanted him. He looked forward to getting to know every last little thing about her, which was something he had never contemplated with any of his past girlfriends.

No, Ria was unique in every way and he looked forward to fulfilling that vision of them as an old, happy couple. If they lived that long.

Tom’s sister turned out to be a young woman in her early twenties named Jacki. She was a Kinkaid, which is to say, a shifter. Ria figured on her for another selkie, though most of the large Kinkaid Clan were lions. A complicated mating centuries ago had produced a family line rich with magic and mixed heritage. Most were born lion-shifters but a few in every generation turned out to be selkies.

It seemed as if a large percentage of the Kinkaid selkies had concentrated around Sam’s yacht. It made sense. Water was their element and the ocean their playground. Why not take a post on their Clan leader’s yacht that would make everybody happy?

Jacki was friendly but reserved as she led them to the breakfast room. It was a huge dining room on yet another deck of the ship and it looked like a lot more people were joining them for the meal than Ria expected. By the looks of things, Edvard had called in the majority of the crew to hear what would be said. This had just gone from breakfast meeting to conclave in no time at all.

More people than Ria would have credited sat in the big room. There was a buffet set up along one side where platters of eggs, meats and all sorts of pastries and muffins were available. Many of the crew were availing themselves of the food, eating heartily while waiting for the meeting to begin.

The yacht had started moving while Ria and Jake were still in their cabin, which meant there was at least a small crew on the bridge and elsewhere actually running the boat while everyone else appeared to be gathered in the breakfast room. Edvard greeted them when they arrived and everyone fell silent, a hush of expectation filling the big room.

“Get some food while I start,” Edvard instructed, indicating two seats next to him that had been left empty for them. Ria and Jake filled their plates at the buffet while Edvard went through duty rosters with the bulk of his crew and set the stage for what would come next.

Most of the others were eating or had empty plates in front of them, so Ria didn’t feel awkward when she sat down beside Edvard and began to nibble on her breakfast. Her nerves were taut though, anticipating what would come next. Things were about to heat up again, if Jake’s vision was anything to go by.

Edvard finished with ship business and turned to Jake and Ria, taking a moment to make introductions. “Most of you know we’ve been working with a human at Sam’s request. Some of you know Jake from your military days.” Edvard nodded toward a few of the men, Tom included. “What you probably didn’t know is that he is a seer of great power.” Surprised murmurs filled the room as Edvard went on. “Another thing you might not realize is that he was solely responsible for saving the
pantera noir
Nyx the other night. Milady, I think we’ve come to the point where my people need to know exactly who they are protecting.”

Ria didn’t like being put on the spot, but she understood. She usually did her best to fly under the radar with other shifters, preferring that they not know who she was. Her position brought with it a sacred duty that made many other shifters either uncomfortable with her, or clingy. She didn’t like either response.

“It’s okay,” she told Edvard. “I don’t know how far out we are. Will we be in port before tomorrow?”

“No, milady. Which is why I thought perhaps with the new moon peaking tomorrow…” Edvard trailed off, but she knew what he was driving at.

“I will be pleased to deliver messages to any of your people that seek them tonight, Captain.” She knew her duty and saw the mix of hopeful and skeptical looks from those gathered in the room.

“Thank you,” Edvard said formally, bowing his head slightly. “Now, as to the rest.” He turned back to his people to speak to the crowd. “As I said, Jake is a seer, like my sister. Tom and I witnessed a vision overtake Jake earlier in the companionway, which was seconded by a call from my sister moments later. The
Venifucus
are on the move. They will awaken something this night that has not seen the light of day in centuries. From today forward, no one is to venture into the deeps. Even the shallows may not be safe. The ocean will be off limits to all for the next few months at least.”

The murmurs turned to outright talking as the selkies and lions all around grew alarmed. “What did they see?” one person toward the front asked, looking from Edvard to Jake.

Edvard raised one eyebrow at Jake, ceding the floor to him.

“Some kind of evil creature of the deep,” Jake replied. “They’re going to free it tonight and there’s no way to stop it. Anyone who tries, will die needlessly.”

“It is the leviathan,” Edvard intoned and several of the shifters gasped. “My sister recognized it. A thing of legend out of the ancient past. An immortal thing that has been locked up for centuries, to be freed by the evil servants of Elspeth.” Edvard paused for a long moment, during which nobody moved. “But Jake’s vision gives hope. This scourge will not foul our oceans forever.” He turned to Jake, wordlessly asking him to reassure his people—many of whom were exceptionally tied to the ocean.

“There are two warriors who are of the water, but not of your race. They’ll subdue the creature, if anyone can. They won’t be called upon for several months, but at some point, they will do battle with the leviathan, and have a very good chance of winning. Nobody else has the skills and magic necessary to do the job, so it’s best to not even try,” Jake added as a warning.