49. Jax

49

Jax

It was a long night. Jenson led a small team outside our perimeter to search for any additional rogue wolves who were or may have been waiting. Once I was sure that the perimeter was secured and our guards were prepared, I made personal visits to Jay and Michael's families. Jay had a wife and a child, and I hoped that the child would be enough for Jay's wife to find strength. I'd have counselors keep a close eye on her. Mates didn't always survive with one passed.

Michael was not married, and both had living parents and siblings. I comforted them as best I could, but I knew that the grief would darken many days for them.

There were only two hours before dawn when I arrived back to my room. Anna was already there, but she wasn't sleeping. I took a few seconds to evaluate her. The strange energy she'd had earlier was gone, but whatever euphoria we'd experienced earlier was replaced by grief. I knew she could feel their deaths in her bonds, even if she wasn't as experienced as me. The pack bonds were still so new to her.

Guilt was at the forefront of her feelings. "We don't know that this is Maeve's doing, and even if it is, you are not to blame," I told her sternly. Silently, she nodded and climbed into my arms. I cherished those few minutes I had with her, knowing that one of my pack was suffering the knowledge that she would never hold her mate again, and I slipped into an uneasy sleep.

The few hours sustained me for the next morning. Anna went to pay a visit to the families before heading to the witches for another round of training, and I visited with Saul first.

His grief was as strong as my own. "Young Jay here had a healing touch," he murmured. "There was a time when I thought he would be one of mine instead of one of yours, but in the end, he wanted to protect his pack more than he wanted to heal it."

"And he died for it," I said grimly.

"A hero often does. He and Michael both fought bravely before they were overtaken. If I'd had a chance to review the dead rogues, I would know for sure, but I suspect that they killed at least one before they died. Their wounds are pretty straight-forward. I'll release the bodies for their funeral rites later today."

He was pissed I hadn't given him the rest of the corpses. "I want their bodies to rot for months to remind the rogues of what they face if they come into my territory," I snarled.

Saul just sighed. "I know Anna has much on her plate, but if you see her, would you please ask her to drop by? I'd like to collect a little more of her blood."

"Anti-venom in case Maeve's little toxic cocktail reaches our territory?"

"Yes, but also to run a few experiments. If it's true that there is Fae blood in her, I'd like to see if I can isolate some of the markers. Charles will be home next week from university, and I think he'll help me."

I'd forgotten that some of our students would be graduating this week and returning back to the pack. There was always a little ceremony for them since they could release their wolves and run to their heart's content.

"He's a biologist?"

Saul hummed but his head was already buried in the paperwork. Work was the best thing for him when he was grieving, so I left him to it.

Jenson returned a few hours later. There was a hardness etched into his face. "You found a camp?"

"Several, but with the same smells. I suspect the rogues have been slowly moving around our borders for several days looking for the best place to strike. There was a hastily built lookout in one of the trees. With binoculars, they could have seen some. On a hunch, I checked the bodies. One of them was embedded with a bug."

"They recorded the event," I said flatly. "I doubt they came up with this on their own."

"You'd have to talk to Finn about that. Apparently, he's moved some pretty technical things through the rogue territories when he worked for them. But this was a pretty cunning plan. They wouldn't sacrifice those wolves unless they have something bigger planned. They attacked closest to the security building. If I were them…"

"You'd attack the side furthest next to see if the response time changes. That could be either the south or west borders. Talk to Irene. See if she can do anything to help us monitor those two sides. Then get some sleep. Kenzi is heading up patrols for the rest of the day."

Jenson nodded briefly, and my phone buzzed. I glanced at the text. "That's Amelia. She might have found something about the cult."

"I'll come with you."

"No, get some sleep. I'll take Kenzi. Whatever she's found, I won't be sending anyone out until tomorrow."

It took half an hour for Kenzi to finish up what she was doing and meet me at Amelia's house. Finn was already there. Whatever had transpired between him and Amelia while they waited for us was not good. Tensions were thick when I walked in.

"I know the rogues better than anyone. I should be on patrols," Finn said immediately as I walked in. "You're benching me."

"Not benching, pretty boy," Kenzi said easily. "Saving you for something better, and I have a feeling Amelia is going to tell us what that is."

Amelia's eyes narrowed at pretty boy but she didn't say anything. "I've found Maeve's old healer."

That got my attention. "How old?"

She handed me a stack of papers. "These are all old medical charts signed by him when Finn and Anna were still part of the pack. His name disappears from the roster a year after Finn was exiled. There's no paperwork on it, but then, we don't have complete files for anything." Her frustration was evident.

"But you found him," I prompted. As soon as she told us what she found, I was going to send her straight to bed. Energy drinks littered the table, and her blood shot eyes told me she hadn't slept in two days, maybe more.

"Emerson did, actually. Five years ago. He didn't even bother coding the email he'd sent to one of his messengers. The message was for Dirk."

Shit. If Dirk found Maeve's old healer, he was probably dead.

"Raul," Finn said loudly as he glanced at the paper Amelia was handing me. "Raul Sarto? Are you certain?"

I cleared my throat, and Finn muttered an apology and handed the note back to me. I gave it a quick glance. The messenger was to leave an envelope at a drop point. The subject of the envelope was Raul Sarto. "This is not the same name as the healer."

"No, but it's an anagram. Astro Arul was Raul's wife's name. Her name also disappeared from the roster the same year. His real name is Hector Ramirez."

Amelia was good. I looked at Finn. "That name means something to you."

Finn's hands were shaking. "I know Raul. I've visited him a number of times. He has a human companion. She's a doctor of some sort. She treats a number of rogue injuries. I've never met her, but one of the times I met with Raul to run an errand for him, I was bleeding pretty badly. He stitched me up."

"Healing is in his nature, but if he's hiding, he can't blatantly heal people. I wonder if it's just a coincidence that his companion is a doctor, or if he hides behind her to do his healing. Is he still alive?"

"As far as I know. It was less than a year ago when I saw him. He had me run errands every six months. Stocking up on supplies." Finn's voice thinned. "He knew who I was."

"Most likely. If he's in hiding from Maeve, then he has secrets, and he might know more about your sisters."

I watched Finn's expression carefully. He was the best person for me to send, but he was also personally invested. If he couldn't contain his emotions, I wasn't going to send him.

Finn nodded. "I'll find him."

No outburst. No signs of hope or fury. Just determination.

"You aren't going alone. I'm sending Kenzi with you."

Amelia's eyes widened, and I watched her open her mouth to argue. When I fixed her with a look, she stared down at the table.

Kenzi, on the other hand, wrinkled her nose. "With all due respect, Jax, we're under attack. I should be here."

"This is important, Kenzi. I need to send two out knowing that both will come back. Jenson and I can handle the rogues. Finn, does Raul move around a lot?"

"No. He's been at the same place for as long as I've known him. It'll take us two days to get there."

"Good. Pack today and sleep tonight. You'll leave first thing in the morning. Stop by the security office and make sure you get satellite radios and whatever other equipment that you need and be vigilant. You'll be a target for any other rogues Maeve might have acquired."

They nodded and left, and I turned to Amelia. "Do you have a problem when me sending Finn and Kenzi on an assignment together?"

"No," she lied.

"Whatever is going on with you and Finn, I'd like the two of you to work it out. Soon. In the meantime, you're banned from this room for twenty-four hours, and I will post a guard at the door. Go to the dining hall and eat a real meal. Take a fucking shower and sleep. You can get back to it tomorrow afternoon."

Her eyes narrowed, but she nodded. "One last thing."

"Yes?"

"Emerson's message wasn't about Raul. It was about the doctor. Apparently, a few rogues had mentioned that the doc didn't smell like wolf, but she also didn't exactly smell like a human either."