A Leopard's Path by Lia Davis Page B

blue light flashed as a snap of power crackled through the air. The ground shook, throwing them off balance.
    Come on, Ana. Please be okay.
    A few moments passed before she appeared. In two steps, Kieran had grabbed her in a tight hug and buried his nose into her neck. “You scared the shit out of me.”
    “Sorry. I just reacted and didn’t have time to explain.” She pulled back and framed his face. “It’s over. I cleansed the area, too.”
    “Hey, she’s right. I can breathe,” Tanner said. The male stared at Ana for several moments. “What did you do?”
    “I built up power I usually keep a lid on. Doing that caused an electronic wave of energy, like an amped up ball of static, only more powerful.” She glanced between the three of them as if unsure. After a moment, she sagged. “Sable shared her magick, the same power she got from her mother, in order to save my life when I was a teen. She taught me to keep it concealed. Now that I don’t need to, it’s hard to keep it controlled.”
    The last part was something she hadn’t told Kieran. He worked his jaw but didn’t say anything. He’d wait until they were safely at home. “Can you two run clean up?”
    Ana shifted from foot to foot. “Um, there’s nothing to clean up.”
    Tanner threw his head back. “What did you do, blow everything out of existence?”
    She shrugged. “Sort of…”
    Kieran sighed and tugged her into a hug. “I want an explanation later.”
    “Promise me a bubble bath, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
    “Deal.” He kissed her, only to break it when Tanner cleared his throat. “Let’s go home. The Alphas are going to want to meet.”
     
    ****
     
    Sable eased the cell door open, careful not to alert the mutants standing guard at the end of the hall. Once outside, a wave of power washed through her as if whatever had muted her magick was inside the cell. Extending her hand to hover over the bars, she pressed her lips together. The bars were warded to contain her and her magick.
    Stupid bitch. She’d only known her mother for a few days, and she’d known she hated her within the first few minutes.
    Taking deep, cleansing breaths, Sable didn’t bother to leash her power. No, she’d need it fully online to escape whatever hell-hole her parents were holding her in. She stretched out her senses and was hit with a familiar and painful presence as it brushed against her subconscious. Fuck. Jared .
    She had to get out of there, and fast.
    The dim, dirty stone hallway reeked of rotten meat—the scent the mutants put off since they never showered and hunted for their food. Foul bastards. She made her way down the hall in the opposite direction from the half-human, half-animal creatures.
    The smell of burning wood reached her a moment before an explosion shook the building. What the hell?
    A moment later, booted footsteps came toward her from behind. Glancing over her shoulder, she froze briefly before taking off in the direction she’d been headed. She recognized the male as Hayden Raines, the wolf Marshal of Ashwood Falls.
    “Sable!”
    His voice boomed through the corridor and her heart skipped a beat. Of course, he knew who she was. After all, she was on their most wanted list. Picking up speed, she rounded the corner and ran into a solid wall of muscle. The cinnamon notes filling her senses told her who it was. Her jaguar whimpered and shrank deeper inside her.
    “Let me go, Jared.” Damn it, why did it hurt to speak his name out loud. Steeling her spine and shoving all emotions out of her mind, she jerked back, breaking his hold. Without a thought, she zapped him with a fraction of her power. He growled but stumbled back. She took the small opportunity to make her escape.
    When she reached the door at the end of the hall, she glanced out the small rectangular window. Not seeing or sensing anyone, she pushed it open and eased out into the setting sun. It didn’t take her any time to adjust to the light