Chapter 246 Chapter 246
Staying out of the way was hard, but he was determined not to interfere and let Evanna learn like the others were. It also allowed him to monitor her reactions and Thera’s as well. They had gone through the safety talk with the weapons, loading, and unloading so far. Each person had the opportunity to fire it once, just to feel the recoil in their hands. Heath was now discussing aiming and the factors that affected it. Evanna’s sole focus was on the instructor, which pleased him, but not his cat. After her confession to them, about her trigger, his cat was in protect mode. At least Heath was all business and no flitting looks now that he was discussing safety with them, it didn’t calm his cat much, but he accepted it.
Yasmin moved over so she was across from a target and began her instruction.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jesse saw Thera stand up and scent the air. He inhaled slowly and then realized he wouldn’t pick up what she was because of all the guns and bodies between them.
When she gave a low meow, Evanna turned and started in her direction with fast steps. When her shirt hit the ground, Jesse froze and looked at Calum. The shock was clear on his face too. Swearing under his breath he started to jog toward her.
He’d go over this in his mind for the rest of his life, but he’d never seen a shifter strip their clothes that fast. She was running, naked into the trees, and then midstride she was her Minn.
The shocked look on Blair and Calum’s faces was clear as he ran and tossed his shirt to the ground. “Something’s wrong.” He told them and hoped he had back up. As he paused to get rid of his jeans and boots, he saw the instructors pick up guns load them and start looking all around them.
“Women to house.” Blair barked loudly.
Jesse didn’t wait to see who listened and who didn’t, he shifted faster than he ever had and tore off into the bush after his mate. The sound of paws registered behind him, and he knew it would be Calum and Blair hot on his tail.
He was able to follow their scent without a problem and was stunned when he found the scent of another animal and not the wild variety. Slowing, he checked behind him to see Blair and Noah following. Calum was nowhere in sight, but he knew he’d be out here somewhere. When he turned back, he caught a glimpse of Thera’s tail heading deeper into the growth and took off after her.
As he cleared the trees, he came to a skidding halt to see Minn with her jaws clamped around the neck of a jackal.
“We need him alive.” Calum’s said from somewhere in the trees.
Blair and Noah moved up beside him.
Minn gave a low warning growl as Thera paced in front of her, keeping her body between them and what she perceived as Minn’s kill.
Jesse shifted so quickly he stumbled a few steps. “Minn, we need him alive. You have to let him shift back.”
She growled low at him.
“We have no jackal clans in the Alliance,” Calum said from the other side of Minn. Jesse still couldn’t see him but knew he was purposely staying out of her sight.
“Babe,” Jesse was a foot from her now, “we need him alive to question him.”
Her eyes connected with him, and he could see it wasn’t fully Minn in control.
“Evanna,” he said softly, “release him, we need him alive to get information that could help others.”
With a hesitant look, she dropped him to the ground and stepped back, but remained crouched and ready to spring if he did anything wrong.
Jesse looked at the animal lying there panting. “I suggest you change or she’s going to get really upset.”
He glanced to see Blair and Noah had escape routes covered that way. Calum came out from behind a tree, back in cat form, his ears flat. The growl he issued was going to be his only warning.
Thera added her opinion, which caused Minn to pace back and forth.
He looked back at the jackal and didn’t have to tell him again as he lay there shifting back to skin. Jesse turned around and looked at Noah, “go grab him something, a blanket or whatever, we don’t need Daisie seeing us drag a naked man back.” He leaned down and looked at his neck, there were no visible marks to be seen. They must have got here just as she’d caught him. “Are there any others on this property? Or nearby?”
Minn shoved past Thera and got right in his face, the low roar she issued let him know he had one chance to get it right.
He shook his head and crawled backward on his hands to put some space between them.
Jesse went over and put his hand on her back. “Go back and get dressed, we’ll be there shortly.” She looked up at him and he could see the hesitant look in her eyes. He nodded, “you did amazing, now let us look like we did something useful.” He smiled down at her. She nudged her shoulder against his bare leg and took off back in the direction they’d come. Jesse watched Thera give the man on the ground a quick once over and then bound after her. He didn’t take his eyes off the shaggy-looking male specimen in front of him. He heard bones snapping to change form and figured it was Calum.
“Holy hell your girl can shift.” Blair came up beside him. “I may have strained an eye when they popped out of my head, she was in mid-air when she did that.”
Jesse grinned, “I can see you trying to jump and shift in mid-air now.”
Blair snorted, “of course, I have to try it.”
That was an image Jess didn’t need, one of Blair naked jumping into the air trying to shift on the run.
“How did the leopard know and none of us sensed it?” Calum came up to stand with them.
“We were all pretty close to the guns,” Blair crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the man, “no jackals in the Alliance?”
Calum shook his head.
“One of them that took Daisie was a jackal.”
“Interesting.” Calum looked at Jesse for a moment, “I guess we need to get Devin looking into where they hail from.”
A sound from behind them had all three tense and glance. It was Noah dragging back a blanket and a pair of jeans.
Calum went over and picked up the blanket and tossed it at the man. “Get up.” He picked up the jeans and looked at them, then threw them at Blair. “I guess you get to drag him back.”
Blair grinned, in an unpleasant way, “lucky me.”