Page 24 of Bound By the Moon

There was a collective gasp in the room. To leavethe pack of my birth for another would be to shun the old pack,which would mean my entire family, including Mikael, if he chose tostay. It didn’t always have to be that way, but if it were donebecause of something like this, a shunning would befacilitated.

“You are quick to throw out that you are the WhiteWolf, Jess, but you forget you are my daughter. What would you doif it were Willow standing here ready to lead the charge against,hell we don’t even know what? There could be a dark army awaitingyou out there.” I saw the fine tremor of fear run through myfather’s hands then. He was right, I would do whatever it took tokeep her safe. In fact, that had been what he thought he was doingfor us when he allowed a security team to search my house while Islept. Realizing that it was done out of love didn’t change theoutcome of his actions though. What it did do was change how we hadto approach the situation, and the only way to make it work was tofollow the plan that Layla and I had concocted together.

“It’s time for me to go, before they do anythingstupid with the baby.”

“I’m going too!” Sierra was quickly on my heals as Imoved toward the front door.

“You cannot.” She appeared ready to argue with me,so I pushed on. “I made you a promise that I would bring Jack backto you. Do you want me to honor that promise?”

“Of course, I do.”

“Then you need to stay behind and honor your own, tohelp look after Willow until we get back, and even if wedon’t.”

“Jessica, you can’t ask me to stay behind. How willthe baby get out again, once they have you, if no one else goesalong?”

I smiled at Sierra, because it was the same questionLayla and I struggled with ourselves until we came up with the onlysolution possible.

“Don’t worry, little one, we have it all covered.Jessica knows exactly what to do.” Layla’s sweet sing-song voiceintoned to Sierra as she draped her arm affectionately around hershoulders. “Now, come, and my sister will make you a tea that willhelp take the edge off while we wait.” I tipped my head towardsLayla in thanks, and left the house.

“Jess,” Ashley called out from the door.

“Yeah?”

“You better come back safe and sound, or Mikael’sgoing to go on the warpath when he gets back.”

“Ashley, you just make sure they don’t tell Mikaelwhere I went until after he comes back to the pack lands on hisown. He is in enough danger, chasing down the worst of our wolves,I don’t need him distracted. I need him to come home to ourdaughter.”

“In case you can’t?”

“In case I can’t.” I turned before I could seeAshley break down. I knew they would all worry about me. Hell, Iwas worried about me, but I also knew that the plan Layla and I hadcome up with was solid. If nothing else, I would make sure thatbaby Jack and I both left this world in peace, instead of throughthe torture of a bloodletting sacrifice.

It didn’t take long for Layla to catch up to me.“Sorry,” she whispered. “I had to distract Serena. I know her, shewouldn’t have let me come to help, but she doesn’t understand whatI did to seal the portal. I didn’t just link your bloodline to it,I linked myself too.”

“I know. I thank you for being brave enough to takeme there. If there were any other way, I would have you stay behindwith the rest of them. Now, we just have to figure out how to keepyou safely hidden away until it’s time to take baby Jack back tohis mom.”

“I think I can help with that.” The gritty voicethat called out from behind us took me off guard a bit, becausethis was not what I had planned with Gabriel. Sensing my distrustof that fact, Gabriel added, “it’s a hunter’s gift to walk silentlyamong the world.”

“You can’t be here. I won’t be responsible for anymore people walking themselves into danger.” I offered, playingalong to see where he was going with this, and hoping like hell hehad a good plan to convince Layla.

“Well, you said it yourself. I am walking myselfinto danger, and therefore am not your responsibility.” He chuckledsoftly at that. “Besides, it is my birthright to hunt the thingsyou seek out. I would be remiss in my duties if I did not attendyou on this mission.” He turned his focus on Layla. “Someone musthelp keep the lovely Layla hidden while we wait on you and the babyat any rate.”

“Fine, but you’re putting your own ass on the line.I’m trying to do the right thing here, and I don’t want anyone elsedying because they looked like me, or helped me.” It was a hardpill to swallow, knowing that all those girls between mine andAvery Daniels’s pack had been lost because they resembled me. Ishook the thought away though, because I couldn’t afford to breakdown for anyone else just yet. I needed to make sure Baby Jack madeit out, and away from the monsters safely, first.

“How exactly are you linked to the Gateway of theDead?” Gabriel asked Layla the same question I had earlier.

“It cannot be found without me, or my blood.”

“Then how did the dark ones find it?”

“A question I cannot answer, because I don’t know.”Layla shook her head, silvery-blond locks bounced around hershoulders as she did so. “It still puzzles me, there is no otherway, except with you and I.” She turned to look at me, andGabriel’s attention shifted from Layla to me.

“With the two of you, or would someone from yourbloodline do?” Gabriel asked as he turned his focus back toLayla.

“Well, I suppose one of my sisters could find theplace if they saw fit to, but even then, only one knew how I sealedthe place.”

“Maybe not,” I interrupted. “When I was a captive ofyour sister Sophia, she had a real bitter streak for Serena. Sheknew things Serena wasn’t able to tell others, maybe this wasn’tnews to her either.”

“Even if that were the case, she’s dead, and clearlynot suspect any longer.”

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