Kevin: Always And Forever (The Guardian Shifters Book 3) Read online

  “Jasper!” Callum calls.

  He looks over his shoulder in our direction. The moment he knows it’s us, he walks towards us. “You okay, son?” He wraps his arms around me and I bury myself into his neck. I feel safe and secure with Jasper.

  “Aye. Please tell me we won’t be going back in there. That is pure torture.”

  He pulls back and places both hands on my cheeks to make me look him in the eye. “I don’t know what the plan is, but whatever it is, we’ll do it. Payback’s a bitch.” He smirks wickedly.

  I don’t think I’ve ever seen this side of Jasper before, but it makes me see that he can be ruthless if he really needs to be.

  “I’m coming to train with you today. I thought you might need a friendly face,” Callum says. “I hope you gave that prick a good piece of your mind.”

  “Aye. He pissed off the wrong person this time. Let’s hit the gym.”

  I let Jasper lead the way, because he clearly knows these corridors like the back of his hand. It’s like he goes on autopilot and leaves Callum and me to trail behind.

  Once we hit the corridors, that actually have electricity instead of candles, I look down at myself and feel self-conscious. My clothes are bogging and we had no running water down there to wash.

  I wasn’t paying attention until I walk into Callum’s back. When I look around his large frame, I spot Braxton standing directly in front of Jasper.

  “Good morning, Jasper,” Braxton says.

  “There’s nothing good about it, Braxton. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m heading to the gym.” Jasper starts to walk on, but Braxton doesn’t move, making it impossible for us to pass.

  “Would you all please join me in the conference room?”

  “Is this a work-related issue? Or a punishment related issue?” snaps Jasper.

  I stand stock still. I’m even holding my breath, because I can’t take another day in those cells. I’ll do anything but go back down to the cells.

  “If you agree to help me, call your punishment finished.”

  Jasper looks over his shoulder at me and Cal. I wonder what is running through his head right now, but his face is straight. His posture is tall and square. He isn’t giving anything away.

  “I’ll hear you out. On one condition.” Jasper crosses his arms over his chest and stares Braxton down.

  Braxton smiles cockily and nods once. He looks deep in thought, but he isn’t stupid. He obviously needs Jasper on board for something. Will he let his power rule him, or will he use his head for once?

  “What’s your condition, Jasper?”

  “If I do whatever you want, you’ll let Kevin go back to Carlos’s pack.”

  What? Why is Jasper thinking about me like that? This is all fucked up. I want to scream at him, but I wait to hear what Braxton says next.

  “Your punishment will be squashed. I’ll give you proper accommodation, but I want Kevin with you. Please, Jasper. Hear me out.”

  I find my tongue and speak up. “I’ll come with you, Jasper. I won’t leave you here.” My anxiety and nerves are completely gone, because I know this is the right thing to do.

  “Just because I’m hearing you out, doesn’t mean I agree to anything,” Jasper continues, not hesitating to show Braxton that this is on his terms alone.

  Braxton nods. “Understood.”

  He turns on his heel and walks down the corridor, showing the grace and power he holds over us. Now I can see why our pack healer hates the council. I’ve only been here for a very short time, but I detest them. They don’t deserve to hold power over our kind. By the looks of things, it’s their way or the highway. They don’t care who gets hurt, as long as their missions are completed.

  We enter the conference room together. The room looks too big for only four of us, but we each pull out a seat. Braxton takes the head of the table. I hope to be around one day when someone knocks that power away from him.

  “Julian will be here at any moment. Why don’t we wait for him? Can I get you gentlemen a coffee?”

  “So, we’re gentlemen because you want something. No, I don’t want a coffee. But since you’re offering us things, can I get my phone to call my son?”

  My leg bobs up and down under the table as Jasper continues to push Braxton’s buttons. I’m actually glad Jasper is showing him that he won’t be a pushover.

  “That can be arranged when we’re finished here.”

  I rest my arms on the table and stare at a blank spot. I don’t want to get nervous again, and silence in this type of room would make anyone nervous, but add the paranormal council and it’s even worse.

  My eye catches Jasper moving, and I smile when he lounges back in his seat. He doesn’t give a shit who he’s in front of anymore, while I’m here twiddling my thumbs to stop my hands from shaking. I need to get some balls if I’m going to be around these council goons.

  “Sorry to keep you all.” The voice booms from behind me. “My call lasted longer than expected.” Julian rushes through the door and he takes up his seat beside Braxton.

  “I’ve not said anything yet. Do you want to start?” Braxton asks.

  “Of course. Thank you for coming to this meeting today, Jasper.”

  Jasper holds his hand up and cuts Julian off. “Don’t thank me yet. I’ll tell you the same as I told your sidekick. Just because I’m here, it doesn’t mean I’m going to help.”

  Julian stares Jasper out but drops his eyes to the folder on the table. In my head, I’m secretly saying, way to go Jasper.

  “Understood. As Braxton told you the other day, after your training, we were sending you to Canada to help out with an issue they have. However, things have changed somewhat since the last time we spoke. We still want you to go to Canada, but we want you to go tomorrow. After this is dealt with, your punishment will be forgotten.”

  “What’s happening in Canada that you can’t take care of?” asks Jasper.

  I sit perfectly still. The breath I’m holding is becoming painful, but I daren’t move a muscle. It’s clear that Jasper, Julian, and Braxton are all Alpha material, and not one of them will back down. They’re strong-willed, determined, and they’ll fight for what they believe in. However, I doubt Jasper would fight for the same thing as the council after our last couple of days.

  “There’s a lot going on at the moment. I’ll fill you in as best I can. Can you remember Lelland and Lavina from Meadow Springs?”

  “Vampires? Why does that concern me?”

  “Well, they’ve got a big issue in Canada. A couple of rogue wolves set up camp in the mountains. The only thing is, these rogue wolves are preying on any young paranormal beings. Many of Lelland’s vampires have been taken. Also, young wolf shifters between the ages of fifteen and nineteen. They need the back up from the council, and we know this is right up your street. We didn’t know this was as big as it is. Humans are suspecting foul play. As you’re aware, Canada houses a lot of paranormal beings, especially wolves and vampires. We can’t afford for their cover to be blown. Lelland does have some help with his vampires, but he needs the backup of the council, wolves, and a powerful witch.”

  “Well, you have the council. You have the wolves.” Jasper points to Callum and me. “But I don’t see any witch here, unless you have her cloaked.”

  I want to laugh at Jasper’s sarcasm, but I try my hardest to stay straight-faced. I can laugh about it once we leave here.

  “We thought you might like to help us there.”

  “Me…?” Jasper pauses for a few seconds. It’s like he has a lightbulb moment. His posture straightens, and his face turns to thunder. “Lisa. Abso-fucking-lutely not.”

  “No, not Lisa. I meant Stracey.”

  “The answer is still the same. Besides, Stracey is needed with Carlos’s pack. Are you forgetting that she hates the ground you walk on, and she isn’t exactly on speaking terms with me? No. You need to find someone else.”

  I don’t know what Stracey has against the council, but I know it
must be something big, because she’s showed me nothing but kindness since I arrived at Carlos’s pack.

  “We need someone we can trust, Jasper.”

  “You’re the fucking paranormal council. You have a full database of witches, wolves, vampires, and any other mystical creature. Use it.”

  Again, Jasper’s sarcasm is amusing. It’s good to see the council sit there and take it. The tables have turned in two days and they no longer have a hold over Jasper and me.

  Julian and Braxton stand up and gather the folder. “Stay here. Give us five minutes to see what we can come up with. We’ll have the jet ready to leave the runway at 1300 hours.”

  “Are you forgetting that I haven’t agreed to help you? In fact, none of us have. We’ll take this five minutes to discuss it.”

  “Jasper, I don’t need to remind you how important this mission is. Young shifters and vampires are being kidnapped, raped, and abused. This has been going on for some time, but Lelland wasn’t aware of it until recently.”

  “As I said, we’ll discuss it as a team. There is no I in team, Julian. Usually, that’s what happens when we go on missions, or we work as part of a pack. We’re wolves. We work better together. If one of us doesn’t want to do it, none of us will. Now, I believe you have a call to make.”

  Julian and Braxton glare at Jasper and nod in his direction before leaving the room. The moment the door shuts, all three of us sit forward and sigh with relief. I feel the tension leave my body and I finally relax my tense muscles.

  “You’re going to help, aren’t you, Jasper?” asks Callum.

  With a roll of his eyes and a cheeky smirk Jasper says, “Of course I am, but they don’t need to know that. Kevin, what do you think?”

  “Erm.” I’m taken aback that I’m being asked for my thoughts. I shrug and continue to twiddle my thumbs. “I’ll do whatever you want me to do. I’m not used to getting a say.”

  “That was then, this is now. When you’re a part of my team, we work together. That means you get a say. No one would think badly of you for saying you don’t want to do it.”

  I rub my temples and shuffle in my seat. My wolf is playing up and the whining is driving me up the wall. My beast isn’t used to being kept locked away for two days. I run freely in the pack, and even when I was with my father and his mutts, I ran whenever the notion took me.

  “It’s weird. I feel like I have to say I’m coming with you. I don’t know why, but my beast is making this decision for me. I… I guess my decision is made.”

  Jasper looks at me strangely. It’s like he’s trying to look into my mind, but he shakes his head slightly.

  “If you’re sure.” He raises his eyebrows at me and waits for me to confirm my final answer.

  “I am, Jasper. I’m coming with you.”

  “Okay. Callum, I take it you’re on board.”

  “Absolutely. You know I live for these missions.” He rubs his hands together.

  I snigger at Callum’s approach to this matter. He eats, sleeps, and breathes these missions. Right now, he’s different to the shifter who kept checking on me down in the cells. He looks and sounds alive.

  “Can I ask you something?” I turn and face Callum.

  “Shoot, kid.”

  “Do you miss pack life? I mean, you don’t live in a pack, do you?”

  “No and no. I guess you could say that Carlos’s pack is my go to home, but I live for the moment. Each day is a new day, and I never take for granted that I’m going to be here tomorrow. I work for the council and we never get short of shit to do. The last two days have been torturing me, because I’m not used to being stuck in this compound. My wolf is jumping around, happy now, because we’ll be free out in the wilderness,” Callum explains excitedly and drums on the table.

  I guess his answer makes sense. Us wolves are free spirits. Even if you’re brought up in pack life, you still have the same characteristics as others that run on their own. My beliefs don’t alter from Markus, Lisa, or Joel’s. The only difference is, they were rescued at a very young age. I’m proof that the way you’re brought up doesn’t define who you are as an adult. I’m glad about that, because I know my mother would be proud of the shifter I am today. I just wish I knew her.

  “Have you both been to Canada before?” I ask.

  “We have.” Jasper answers first. “Canada’s a beautiful place. The scenery, the mountains, the wildlife… it’s amazing.” He smiles, clearly thinking about the times he’s spent in Canada. “I haven’t been for at least a year, but anytime I do go, it’s hard to leave. I must take Lisa and Markus on a trip there soon.”

  “Isn’t it bad for our kind to mix with vampires?” I blurt out without engaging my brain and mouth. What kind of fucking question is that to ask?

  Callum and Jasper laugh, but I roll my eyes and shrug it off, because I know they’d never make fun of me.

  “You’re as bad as Lisa. You’ve been reading too many books.”

  “I don’t read books.” As much as I’d probably like to be transported to a different world, the closest I got to books when I was growing up was spell books and grimoires.

  “Well, too many movies then.”

  “Try living with a rogue that thought every paranormal being was evil. I didn’t know any better.”

  Jasper folds his arms and sits back casually. “Although vampires and wolves don’t commonly come into contact with one another, it is possible. We join forces when either side’s in trouble. Vampires aren’t the big bad monsters people perceive them as. In fact, Lelland and Lavina are the best examples for you to be introduced to, because they still lead a human life out in Meadow Springs. It’s a small village, but it’s home for them. They train vampires to live off animal blood instead of human blood. They have a big house in the middle of nowhere, and it’s housed hundreds of vampires over the years. You’ll probably meet Ashley and Dale Black. I believe they’re the latest creations of Lelland, and they live close by with their family.”

  “Ah, I see you’re teaching young Kevin already,” says Julian as he pushes through the door. “I take it you’ve had a chance to discuss our offer.” He takes up his usual seat.

  “We have,” we say in unison, which makes Braxton and Julian smile.

  “Thank you. I know Lelland will be glad to have you on board, Jasper. He did ask for you personally.”

  I’ve heard the noble stories about Jasper. The people he’s saved. The kids he’s given a better life to. He’s a hero in the paranormal community. He’s a hero in my book as well.

  “So, the plan of action is…?” asks Jasper.

  “As I said, you’ll fly out at 1300 hours. You’ll land around 2000 hours. Lelland will be there to collect you all, and he’ll transport you back to his house. You’ll be there for as long as he needs you. On your return, you’ll go home.”

  “Just like that? So, we spent the last forty-eight hours in those cells for nothing.”

  The harsh sound of Jasper’s chair being scraped back has me sitting upright, paying attention to the scene in front of me. If I had to go against the council to protect anyone, it would be for Jasper. No questions asked.

  “No. Not just like that, Jasper. We had to be seen acting against your pack for breaking rules. It’s over with. Finished. We won’t apologise for keeping order within our world,” says Braxton sternly.

  I call bullshit on that pair. They didn’t need to do what they did. No one would have held it against Carlos’s pack for what Joel did. A lot of humans know of our existence, they just don’t care as long as we keep to ourselves and don’t cause problems within their community. In fact, ninety percent of communities where a wolf pack is keeps the peace from rivals, gangs, and any other dispute they may have going on.

  “Can we get freshened up before we leave?”

  “Of course. I’ve had your belongings brought in from your car. You have two hours to freshen up, eat, and get ready to fly out,” says Braxton.

  “What about the witch
you said you need?”

  “We’ll sort something out and get back to you with that information,” Julian says. “Callum, show the boys to the guest house.”

  Out of the two of these goons, I do prefer Julian. He isn’t as hard-headed, arrogant, or cocky. Braxton uses his power to get what he wants. It oozes out of him.

  “I think I know where I’m going,” Jasper snaps, and stands straight. If looks could kill, the two council members would be dead and buried by now. “But, thank you.”

  I feel like I have whiplash with everything that has been said and done within these four walls this morning. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going, but I know I need to get out of here and let my beast free for a little while. His persistent whining is getting on my nerves. I can’t think straight.

  Maybe a fresh shower, clean clothes, and something to eat will work wonders. With a bit of luck.

  Chapter 8

  Karina

  My days are all joining together now, and I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. I can’t feel my body. I’ve been hit and abused more times than I care to count. My wolf is quiet. Even she has lost all fight. I’ve been shackled to this table for days. I can’t remember the last time I had food or water. I try to focus on my surroundings, on what’s happening to others, but when I open my eyes, I can only see white and black spots. I can’t hear anything now, and that’s better than the crying and screams from other women… kids too. This shouldn’t be allowed to happen. I’ve heard of shifters being hunted for research, or for revenge for something or other, but this is completely different. This is wolves believing they have the right to do as they please. There is no other explanation. But little do they know that they’re weak and bring our community down. I’ve always been around someone that shows that kind of power, but my parents did everything they could to shelter me from it. It wasn’t until they were killed that I saw first-hand how cruel our own kind can be.

  “Karina?” A whisper makes me jump. I try to jump away, but my tethered limbs aren’t going anywhere. “It’s okay. It’s me, Darcy. I’m going to send you some healing energy. They want me to make you alert, but they won’t know that I’m actually trying to heal some of your injuries.”