Read Online Capturing Caroline by Anya Bast - Free Book Online

be easy for them. Get rid of the Lycaon in
one blow."
    "It doesn’t
work like that," answered Jessa, seeming exasperated.
    Caroline stared
hard at her. "Paige told me about this woman, Alisa. She was born
Lycaon, but brought up by the Magica. When her Magica adoptive
parents were endangered, she was forced to become a traitor. She
was the reason Paige and her mate Jarek were taken by the Magica
and nearly died."
    Jessa's lips
pressed into a thin line and her eyes narrowed for a moment before
she replied. "What are you insinuating?"
    “Paige and her
mates took Alisa in, but Alisa ended up betraying them.” She met
Jessa’s eyes. “The same thing could happen with you. I’m sorry to
say it, Jessa, but we need to be careful.”
    Torrent touched
her hand. "Caroline, I understand you're angry about this
situation, but I don't think that's a reason to make such an
accusation."
    "I am angry," said Caroline, "and I don't necessarily believe Jessa is a
traitor to the Lycaon. We have no reason to think so. But there are
more Magica rebels involved in the creation of the switch, isn’t
there? Ones we don’t know? I'm simply asking we examine this
closely before we start sending people we love into danger and
death. I don't mean any offense. I like you, Jessa, but how can be
sure this isn't a trap?"
    "I think
Caroline makes a valid point," added Kaitlyn. "And not just because
she's my sister."
    "I do, too,"
Jarek chimed in, "I remember Alisa all too well. I carried her on
my back, and then she stabbed it." He glanced at Jessa. "You seem
like a great person and I like you...but I liked Alisa too."
    Logan stood up.
"You don't trust Jessa because she is Magica. So trust me, I am
Lycaon." His voice shook with barely contained rage. "You don't
know the sacrifices that Jessa has made for you. She has given up
her culture, her city, her people, and even her family. She has
risked death, she and her rebels, to do this for us."
    "We are only
righting a wrong on behalf of our people," whispered Jessa. Then
her voice grew louder. "But I understand your concern and the
question is a smart one to ask. I wish there was a way, other than
Logan’s testimonial, to prove our resolve and our loyalty. But let
me assure you that once this magick is tripped, there is no
reversing it, and there is no way to crush an entire reality out of
existence. We can shift and we can separate and we can pull through
if the energies are strong enough. We cannot destroy."
    "We must take
your word for that," said Paige.
    "And her name
is good!" roared Logan, slamming his fist onto the table.
    "I trust Jessa
and her judgment regarding her followers," said Torrent, standing
up. He held Caroline's gaze. "I think you should too. All of
you."
    Caroline held
his gaze. "I want to trust her, but there is something I hold very
dear about to be lost. I don't want it to be for nothing."
    Jessa stood,
walked over to Caroline and knelt beside her chair. The older woman
took her hands in hers and stared into her eyes. "I promise to you
on my honor and the lives of my families that what I bring to you
is true. If you and Torrent make this sacrifice, it will save the
Lycaon. I realize it's a lot to ask—"
    "It's
everything," whispered Caroline immediately. "You're asking
everything of me." A tear rolled her cheek.
    Jessa bowed her
head for a moment, seeming to reach for composure. Finally, she
raised her gaze to hers again. "I know and I'm sorrier than I can
say." She paused. "It must be this way."
    "Why can't
someone else flip the switch?"
    "I would not
ask anyone else," said Torrent.
    Of course he
wouldn't.
    Jessa stood and
walked back to her place, measuring her words before she answered.
"It must be Torrent because of his specific genetic makeup. No
other Lycaon is linked so intimately with the Lycaons that helped
the Magica remove this reality from Earth's so long ago. Torrent's
DNA is the key."
    Great. So good
her soul mate was the chosen one.
    They finished
up their meeting