Page 6 of Stegian: Project Exorcism 4

Chapter Three

Jacquelyn Janelle moved swiftlythrough the forest. She needed to be back before suns rise. Christian, the Chieftain, would sense if she were gone. He still had no clue Jacquelyn had ascended beyond the body he labored over—the one that still resided within the compound walls, tucked safely away in a medical room, hooked to endless machines.

She had left it when her older sister, Lorelei, was taken by Stegian’s men and almost died. Jacquelyn had used all of her resources to assist Lorelei and assure her sister’s survival.

Now approaching her twenty-first birthday, Jacquelyn had spent years in a bed, hooked to machines, living the life of artificial intelligence because her body was useless. Two years ago, when she gave everything to help Lorelei, that changed. Prior to the initial attack that happened long ago and left her bedridden to begin with, when she was eleven, Jacquelyn had only begun to come into her powers. The daughter of a werepanther and Shamenian priestess, the odds were in her favor that she too would be gifted, as were her siblings.

No one could have predicted just how powerful she would grow to be.

“Don’t move,” a deep, familiar voice said as Jacquelyn neared the halfway point to her village.

Turning, she found her brother, Bradi, sitting upon a horse, his sword drawn. He looked every bit the shifter warrior he was born to be. Her brother-in-law, Sevan, was on a horse next to Bradi’s, eyeing her cautiously.

Bradi arched a black brow. “Care to tell me why you’re out at night, alone and outside of the compound walls?”

He didn’t recognize her. Jacquelyn didn’t blame him. He’d been forced off their planet when she was but six, and before that, had been so busy with his duties as captain of the guards that he’d barely had time for her. Since his return, Jacquelyn often found Bradi in the chamber in which her body lay comatose, still hooked to machines, giving all the signs of life yet never responding. He’d break down, begging her to forgive him for leaving and allowing the attack to occur. Bradi could not have known, nor could his departure have been prevented, yet he still blamed himself.

She longed to give him peace—to free him of his guilt—but could not reveal herself just yet.

“Cat got your tongue?” he asked.

Sevan laughed. “In this family, you never know.”

“Is that a panther joke, lion boy?”

Sevan chuckled, clearly not taking offense as a lion shifter. “My cat’s bigger.”

It was easy to see the two enjoyed ribbing one another and that they got along well. She would often overhear their witty banter when they were near her medical room in the compound. She was happy her brother had found other males to bond with, since their other brothers were still somewhere in the galaxy, far from their home planet. No one said it but they all thought it—they may even be dead. For a time they’d assumed Bradi was dead because he’d been off-world, but he’d returned to them not only healthy and whole, but mated. Good could happen. She’d seen it firsthand.

Bradi shook his head and stared down at her, disapproval in his gaze. He wasn't the type of man who would permit a female to go unguarded. It went against his alpha male nature. “It’s not safe for a young woman to wander around beyond the compound walls and fencing. Hop on and we’ll ride you back to safety.”

“I’m from the village of Neatalie,” she said softly, hoping Bradi wouldn’t pick up on her scent and realize she was related to him. Being a werepanther, he could if he tried. She just hoped he didn’t bother going to that extreme. She wasn’t prepared to share her secret yet. He and the rest of her family would try to stop her. And they'd most likely be successful. She couldn’t have that.

“Neatalie?” Sevan questioned, seeming surprised. He glanced off in the distance, in the direction of the village of Neatalie, before meeting her gaze once more. She knew the story seemed thin. She wasn't proud of her lie.

He tipped his head. “You’re way off course then.”

She nodded. “I was separated from my group during the storms last night. I sought shelter in the caverns near the red sea, hoping to rendezvous with them.”

Bradi put his hand out. “Come on, we’ll take you back to Shamenia with us. We’ll send word to your village that you’re safe.”

“I’m fine,” she protested, needing to get back to her body so she could rest and recharge her energy. “Really.”

The look he gave her said it all. He would not allow her to travel alone. Giving in, she accepted his hand and prayed he would not recognize her.

He lifted her with ease and she settled in behind him. The impulse to wrap her arms around his waist and hold him tight was great. Jacquelyn gave in to it, hugging her brother for the first time since she was just a little girl. He'd always been so kind and so patient with her when she was a small child. His heart was bigger than he was, and that was saying something considering Bradi's size.

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